• Summary
• A 64-team format would comprise 128 matches if FIFA kept the 2026 structure
• That format could add roughly another week to a tournament already lasting more than five weeks
• Saudi Arabia’s 2034 hosting faces Ramadan timing complications and heavy infrastructure demands
• Player welfare, competitive balance and World Cup exclusivity would face renewed scrutiny

The first 48-team World Cup has barely finished, but Gianni Infantino has already acknowledged the ​possibility that soccer’s biggest tournament could one day grow larger still, a move that could fundamentally alter the economics of the sport.

Speaking to Swiss television during the tournament, the FIFA ‌president said a 64-team World Cup was among the ideas that could be examined once the finals were over, reopening debate over how large the game’s showpiece event can realistically become.

The logistical implications of another expansion are obvious. A bigger tournament would require more stadiums, more hotels, more transport and, most likely, more time.

But the financial implications could prove even more significant. By making qualification easier for many of the game’s biggest nations, a 64-team tournament could reduce the commercial value of qualifying competitions while ​increasing the importance of FIFA’s own flagship event.

If broadcasters place less value on qualifying campaigns, soccer’s six regional confederations could become increasingly dependent on FIFA’s own distributions, potentially shifting more financial influence — and ​power — towards the global governing body.

“I don’t think it’s a good idea for the World Cup itself, and it’s not a good idea for our qualifiers either. ⁠So I’m not supporting that idea,” UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said last year. The European governing body’s position has not changed since then.

Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has also voiced opposition, ​questioning last year where further expansion might end.

FIFA did not reply to requests for comment.

“I think it is important that when you want to organise a World Cup, you do it for the whole world — not just ​Europe and South America,” Infantino said when discussing the idea of an expanded tournament. “If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”

CHALLENGES ON AN ENTIRELY DIFFERENT SCALE

The 2026 tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States was the first since 1998 to move away from the 32-team format, expanding to 48 nations and 104 matches over more than five weeks.

If the competition retained the same basic structure, with four-team groups followed ​by a 32-team knockout stage, a 64-team World Cup would comprise 128 matches — 24 more than in 2026 and double the total staged under the old 32-team format.

Unless FIFA compressed the schedule or staged more games ​simultaneously, that could add roughly another week to a tournament already lasting more than five weeks.

Plans are in place for Spain, Portugal and Morocco to stage most of the 2030 finals, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay each hosting a single ‌opening-round match to ⁠mark the tournament’s centenary.

Accommodating 64 teams across six host nations presents a formidable organisational challenge. Doing so in a single country could prove even more demanding.

Saudi Arabia, due to host the tournament alone in 2034, already faces significant scheduling questions. Ramadan is expected to begin in mid-November that year, making the November-December window used for the 2022 World Cup in neighbouring Qatar difficult to replicate and potentially forcing another unprecedented reshaping of the global football calendar.

A 64-team tournament would magnify those challenges, requiring more stadiums, training facilities, hotels, transport capacity and volunteers while placing additional pressure on infrastructure in a country still developing its tourism industry.

The Saudis have proposed 15 venues ​for the existing 48-team format, with eight stadiums in ​Riyadh, four in Jeddah and others in Khobar, ⁠Neom, and Abha. Construction and renovation work is already underway ahead of the 2027 Asian Cup.

DOMESTIC PRESSURE

An expanded World Cup would also place greater strain on an already congested international calendar and increase pressure on domestic leagues, many of which have aligned themselves with Europe’s traditional August-to-May season.

Japan’s J-League is about to begin its first ​August-to-May campaign, while U.S. Major League Soccer plans a similar switch from next year. Any future winter World Cup would therefore disrupt an ever-growing number of ​competitions rather than primarily Europe’s ⁠major leagues, as was the case in 2022.

World Cups can be costly for national federations, even rich ones like France. The French Football Federation had been expecting to spend 24.5 million euros ($28 million) at this year’s World Cup, with federation president Philippe Diallo saying Les Bleus would probably need to at least reach the semi-finals not to lose money.

At the April FIFA Congress in Vancouver, Diallo said FIFA needed to provide greater financial support to participating nations.

If a ⁠48-team tournament ​is already stretching the finances of participating federations, a longer 64-team event could increase those costs further.

Player welfare concerns would also intensify, ​with more matches adding to the workload of elite players. A 64-team tournament would give more nations access to football’s biggest stage but could also reignite debate over competitive balance, tournament length, fan costs and whether the World Cup risks losing some of the exclusivity ​that has long underpinned its appeal.

Whether the idea progresses beyond discussion may depend in part on how the first 48-team World Cup is ultimately judged.

-Reuters

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World soccer’s governing body FIFA has appointed a disciplinary and ethics ​prosecutor to investigate the post-match brawl ‌that erupted after Spain’s 1-0 extra-time victory over Argentina in a chaotic World Cup ​final.

Tensions boiled over after Spain secured ​their second World Cup title courtesy ⁠of an extra-time winner from winger ​Ferran Torres. Argentina had already been reduced ​to 10 men in the 93rd minute of normal time when Enzo Fernandez was sent ​off for a second yellow ​card.

At the final whistle, Argentine midfielder Leandro Paredes ‌clashed ⁠with several Spanish players, including defender Eric Garcia and midfielder Gavi, triggering a broader brawl between the two sets of ​players.

The teams ​exchanged ⁠shoves and had to be physically separated, with Argentina coach ​Lionel Scaloni trying to calm ​down ⁠the players at the end of the ill-tempered encounter.

No timeframe was given for ⁠the ​conclusion of the investigation.

-Reuters

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South American football’s governing body CONMEBOL is pushing for the ​2030 World Cup to be expanded ‌to a record 64 teams, just a day after the conclusion of the ​first 48-team tournament in North ​America.

CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez campaigned for ⁠the further expanded format on ​social media on Monday, urging FIFA to ​expand the centenary edition of the tournament.

“The next one is at home! In 2030, ​the World Cup is coming ​to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay,” Dominguez wrote. “It will ‌be ⁠a great opportunity for football, to celebrate the World Cup’s centenary with a 64-team tournament.”

FIFA was contacted ​for comment ​on the ⁠proposed expansion.

Under the existing approved plan, Spain, Portugal, ​and Morocco will serve as ​primary ⁠co-hosts, while Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will host opening centenary matches to ⁠mark ​100 years since the ​inaugural 1930 tournament in Uruguay

-Reuters

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