Alejandro Dominguez, president of South America’s football governing body CONMEBOL, has formally proposed expanding the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams. The idea was originally floated last month by a Uruguayan delegate during a virtual meeting of FIFA’s ruling council, chaired by FIFA President Gianni Infantino, and reportedly came as a surprise to European officials.
“We are convinced the centennial celebration will be unique—because a hundred years are celebrated only once,” Dominguez said during his address at CONMEBOL’s 80th Ordinary Congress.
The 2030 edition of the World Cup is already shaping up to be the most expansive in history, with six host nations across three continents. Uruguay, the original host of the inaugural 1930 World Cup, is slated to stage one match, while Argentina, Paraguay, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco are also set to co-host.
“For the first time, we propose celebrating this anniversary with 64 teams, across three continents simultaneously,” Dominguez added.
The World Cup featured 32 teams in its most recent edition in Qatar in 2022. That number will rise to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. Expanding further to 64 teams would not only increase global participation but would likely guarantee qualification for all 10 CONMEBOL member nations. Venezuela, notably, is the only South American country yet to qualify for a World Cup.
“This expansion would give every country the chance to experience the World Cup and ensure no one on the planet is left out of the celebration,” said Dominguez.
If approved by FIFA, the proposal would result in a 128-match tournament—double the number played under the 64-game format used between 1998 and 2022.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has championed tournament expansion since taking office in 2016, often citing the benefits of increased revenue and broader participation for member federations. However, UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has pushed back against the 64-team concept, calling it “a bad idea.”
Critics argue that such expansion could dilute the quality of play and undermine the significance of World Cup qualifiers in many regions.
