World football could be set for another major expansion after South American governing body CONMEBOL formally proposed increasing the 2030 FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64 teams, according to BBC Sport.
The proposal comes even before the expanded 48-team format makes its debut at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, with CONMEBOL arguing that the centenary edition of football’s biggest tournament should feature more nations than ever before.
The 2030 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each stage opening matches to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first FIFA World Cup, which was held in Uruguay in 1930.
Addressing the CONMEBOL Congress on Thursday, president Alejandro Dominguez said the expansion would give more countries the opportunity to participate in the historic tournament.
“This will allow all countries to have the opportunity to live the world experience and so nobody on the planet is left out of the party,” said Dominguez.
“We are convinced that the centennial celebration will be unique because 100 years are celebrated only once.”
The idea was first “spontaneously raised” during a FIFA Council meeting in March by Uruguayan Football Federation president Ignacio Alonso.
Responding to the proposal, FIFA said it had a “duty to analyse any proposal from one of its Council members.”
FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who attended the CONMEBOL Congress, also acknowledged the significance of the 2030 tournament, describing it as an “exceptional milestone” in the history of the World Cup.
FIFA approved the expansion from 32 to 48 teams in 2017 following a unanimous vote at its congress, with the new format set to be introduced at next year’s tournament.
CONMEBOL’s latest proposal is expected to be discussed further at FIFA’s 75th Congress, scheduled for 15 May in Paraguay.
If approved, the 2030 World Cup would feature 128 matches, doubling the number played under the traditional 64-match format used between 1998 and 2022.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino said, “Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high.”
UEFA Opposes Expansion
However, the proposal has already attracted criticism.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has also voiced his opposition to the proposal.
“This proposal was maybe even more surprising for me than you. I think it is a bad idea,” Ceferin said at a news conference.
The 2030 edition will be the first FIFA World Cup to be staged across three continents. Spain, Portugal and Morocco were confirmed as the main hosts in 2024, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each host opening fixtures to celebrate the tournament’s centenary. Uruguay, winners of the inaugural World Cup in 1930, will host one of those commemorative matches.
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