Kathmandu. FIFA is to discuss the possibility of increasing the number of teams participating in the 2030 World Cup from 48 to 64. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said that the committees will discuss how to expand the scope of the World Cup.
In an interview with Swiss media Bloubin, Infantino said it would be appropriate to expand the squad from 48 to 64.
“It’s definitely something that will be studied and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” he said. ’
According to Infantino, it is important to represent not only Europe and South America, but the whole world when hosting the World Cup.
“When we host the World Cup, we have to organize it for the whole world. Every country should be able to dream of playing in the World Cup,” he said.
He said that the standard of teams around the world is constantly improving and if small nations are not given opportunities, their motivation to develop will be lost.
“As you can see, the standard of the teams is very high and it’s getting higher and higher around the world. If smaller countries are not given the opportunity to play in the World Cup, they will lose the motivation to be better,” Infantino said.
32 to 48, now 64 teams ready?
From 1998 to 2022, there were 32 teams participating in the World Cup. The 2026 World Cup is being held for the first time with 48 teams.
The tournament, which is being held in Canada, Mexico and the United States, consists of a total of 104 matches. Argentina, England, France and Spain are the only players left in the tournament. Now only two semi-finals and final matches are left.
Infantino described the 48-team format as a “huge success”.
“Every team performed at a high level. Teams from all continents scored and won at least one point. ’
Giving an example of the performance of African teams, he said, “Nine out of 10 teams from Africa reached the knockout stage. In the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. This clearly shows why it’s important to give all teams a chance. ’
2030 World Cup multi-continental event
The 2030 World Cup will be held in a very different format.
The first three matches of the tournament will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay respectively. The remaining matches will be played in Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
If the number of teams is increased to 64, the three South American host nations will be more likely to host not just one game each, but also a group of four teams each.
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