Which number is more logical?
If the World Cup finals have 64 participating teams, which is almost 1/3 of the total number of teams currently in the FIFA ranks (211), is that an imbalance? This is a meaningless question, although this issue is always mentioned whenever discussing the possibility of FIFA expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino has always wanted to expand the number of teams in the World Cup.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Firstly, UEFA currently has 55 members, but the EURO Finals already feature 24 teams, meaning almost half of the teams have already qualified, and that doesn't diminish the value of the EURO – a tournament just as exciting as the World Cup.
Secondly, the World Cup itself didn't place too much emphasis on the ratio between the number of teams participating in the qualifying rounds and the number of teams that qualified for the finals. FIFA had only about 40 members in the 1930s, but the 1934 and 1938 World Cups each had 16 teams, meaning it was still more than the ratio of 1/3 of the world's teams qualifying for the finals, even if FIFA expands the number of teams in the 2030 World Cup to 64.
But of course, that's still a problem! First, let's look at the positive side. 64 is a beautiful number for any sporting event (not just football). In stark contrast, the current number of 48 teams in the World Cup finals is truly "bizarre." In sports, 48 is an odd number because it's impossible to find a reasonable way to select the number of teams that advance. Of course, 32 teams will advance after the group stage of the 2026 World Cup, as everyone knows. That's the 24 teams that finish first and second in their groups, and 8 teams that qualify as the best third-placed teams out of 12 third-placed teams. But in short, that's a poor plan, from a tournament organization perspective.
Top most expensive World Cups in history.
With 64 teams, you don't need to be a super-expert in tournament organization to come up with a reasonable format. Grouping (4 teams per group), knockout rounds, or a combination of both are all fine and simple. Want a large number of teams but not too many matches or a tournament that's too long? It's easy!
THE IMPORTANT THING IS HOW YOU CHOOSE YOUR TEAM FOR THE TOURNAMENT.
The problem with a 64-team World Cup isn't the tournament itself, but the way the teams are selected for the finals. South America only has 10 teams; why not invite all of them to the finals – instead of playing qualifying rounds for three years just to eliminate… one team? Even if all 10 South American teams qualify, that number would still be fewer than the number of teams from Asia or Africa. Currently, there are 9 Asian teams and 10 African teams at the 2026 World Cup. Adding 16 more teams to make the 2030 World Cup 64 would naturally require many more teams from Asia and Africa.
Currently, the 2026 World Cup only has 48 teams, with Europe having only 16 representatives, and already a bizarre situation has arisen. Sweden is a rare case: finishing last in their group, without a single win in the European qualifying round, yet still securing a place in the finals! Of course, Sweden will play in the play-offs, but the selection process for these play-off teams (through the European Nations League) is so complicated that no one knows in advance which teams will play. Whether it's World Cup or EURO qualifiers, this specific situation occurs every year: some teams, in order to maintain their hopes of qualifying for the finals (via the play-offs), have to… suffer heavy defeats against their opponents!
The idea of a special 64-team World Cup in 2030 is related to the 100th anniversary of the World Cup's inception. Given this, there's naturally an accompanying idea: inviting a number of special teams to the tournament, unrelated to the qualifying rounds. Another idea: using the FIFA rankings to select additional "guest" teams to make up the quota – the choice, of course, is up to FIFA. In short, the debate doesn't necessarily have to be limited to how many spots each continent should have, in the case of a 64-team World Cup in 2030.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/thu-hinh-dung-ve-mot-ky-world-cup-co-64-doi-185260504222753692.htm
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