FIFA President agrees to World Cup plan to increase to 64 teams: When will it be applied?

FIFA President agrees, World Cup increased to 64 teams very feasible

According to La Nacion (Argentina), FIFA (Federation Internationale de Football Association) President Gianni Infantino was the one who organized the meeting and he supported this plan. Currently, the World Cup has expanded from 32 teams to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup to be held in the US, Mexico and Canada next summer.

Chủ tịch FIFA đồng ý phương án World Cup tăng 64 đội: Khi nào áp dụng?- Ảnh 1. — FIFA President Gianni Infantino (left) supports the idea of increasing the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams

The idea of expanding the finals to 64 teams for the 2030 World Cup was proposed by Uruguayan Football Federation President Ignacio Alonso in March, during an online meeting of the FIFA Council. This idea was supported by member federations of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) such as Argentina and Paraguay, although many other members were surprised at the time.

However, FIFA insists it is responsible for considering any official proposals. In April, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez presented a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams at the congress of the South American football body, which he sees as a way to honor the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, which was first held in Uruguay in 1930.

If approved, the 2030 World Cup would be the largest tournament in history, with more than 30% of FIFA member associations participating. The World Cup has been continuously expanded: from 16 teams to 24 in 1982, 32 teams in 1998, and is preparing to enter the 48-team era in the 2026 World Cup, co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

"We believe in a historic 2030 World Cup," Alejandro Dominguez shared the message on his Instagram account, after meeting with FIFA President Infantino and other top officials of South American football.

Chủ tịch FIFA đồng ý phương án World Cup tăng 64 đội: Khi nào áp dụng?- Ảnh 2. — List of 18/48 teams that have won tickets to the 2026 World Cup, as of September 10

Previously, FIFA agreed to let Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each host one opening match at the 2030 World Cup to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the World Cup. After that, all remaining matches will take place in the three official co-host countries: Morocco, Portugal and Spain.

However, CONMEBOL wants to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, allowing South American countries to host more matches. If the proposal is accepted, the 2030 World Cup with 64 teams will have 128 matches, double the number of matches (64) of the 32-team format held from 1998 to 2022. And also more than the 2026 World Cup with 48 teams, which had a total of 104 matches.

With the number of matches and teams increasing in the 2030 World Cup, the federations in the European region (UEFA) completely disagree, because it seriously affects the schedule of the top tournaments here.

UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin believes that expanding the World Cup would dilute the quality and make the qualifying rounds less competitive. Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) President Victor Montagliani commented: "We haven't even started with a 48-team format. The idea of 64 teams doesn't make sense."

The final decision on increasing the number of World Cup teams will rest with the FIFA Council. But with support from many sides and South American football, the idea of increasing the number of teams in the 2030 World Cup to 64 is gradually becoming a reality.

Source: https://thanhnien.vn/chu-tich-fifa-dong-y-phuong-an-world-cup-tang-64-doi-khi-nao-ap-dung-185250925082654333.htm