Context and Importance
The announcement from Gianni Infantino reopens a debate many thought was settled after the expansion to 48 teams in 2026. Now the FIFA president publicly admits a 64-team World Cup could be the organization's next step.
The statement comes at a sensitive moment. The 2026 tournament, hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, has not even kicked off yet, and talk of another format leap is already underway.
For fans everywhere, this matters because it directly affects qualifying balance, the number of slots per confederation, and the very essence of a competition historically defined by how hard it is to qualify.
Infantino said plans for 64 teams will be assessed in detail right after the 2026 World Cup ends.
What Happened
In an interview with BBC Sport, Infantino said football needs to be 'for the whole world', explaining why FIFA is willing to study a further expansion of the men's World Cup.
According to the official, the idea of 64 teams has circulated inside FIFA for some time, but only now has it received a clearer public stance from football's top executive.
The timing is not accidental. With the 2026 World Cup approaching and the 48-team expansion about to be tested for the first time, FIFA appears to want to get ahead of the next debate before the current format even takes the field.
Impact on the Sport
A 64-team World Cup would completely change the tournament's logistics. It would require more stadiums, more host cities, more competition days and, possibly, a new knockout stage model.
For countries like Brazil, traditionally strong in South American qualifying, the impact would be indirect but still relevant. More global slots could mean changes in how places are distributed among confederations, something CONMEBOL watches closely.
Smaller nations, on the other hand, would see the expansion as a historic chance to reach their first World Cup, an argument FIFA regularly cites to justify the tournament's growth.
A truly global World Cup, or a tournament stretched too thin for football's modern calendar?
Reaction from the Football World
Infantino's statement already divides opinion among officials, journalists and former players. Part of the specialized press fears that adding more teams could lower the competition's average technical quality.
On the other side, some welcome the chance to democratize access to the sport's biggest event, a historical argument FIFA has used for previous expansions.
Smaller federations, especially in Asia, Africa and Concacaf, tend to support the idea, since a bigger World Cup increases their odds of qualifying for the global stage.
A 64-team World Cup would require far more matches and competition days than today, worrying those who want to protect club calendars.
Relevant History
The World Cup had 16 teams from 1930 to 1978, expanded to 24 in 1982, and reached 32 in 1998, a format that lasted nearly three decades. The expansion to 48 teams, approved under Infantino's tenure, only debuts in 2026.
Every increase in participants has historically sparked the same debate: balancing inclusion with competitive quality.
The last major expansion, from 32 to 48 teams, was approved in 2017 and only reaches its practical test in 2026, almost a decade later.
This history shows FIFA usually takes years between announcing an expansion and actually implementing it, suggesting 64 teams, if approved, remains far from reality for now.
Numbers and Statistics
The numbers help put into perspective the size of the leap FIFA is considering. These are changes that directly affect the tournament's structure and the international calendar.
If confirmed, the expansion to 64 teams would represent exactly double the format that ran for nearly thirty years, between 1998 and 2022.
There is still no official timeline or set date for any eventual vote on the topic within the FIFA Congress.
What Comes Next
According to Infantino, the natural next step is to observe how the 2026 World Cup functions with 48 teams before any concrete decision on a 64-team model.
FIFA is expected to gather data on attendance, viewership, technical quality of matches and the logistical impact of the current format to inform the next discussion.
Only after that evaluation, expected right after the tournament in the United States, Mexico and Canada, should the 64-team topic return to the organization's official agenda with more weight.
Expert Opinion
Infantino's comment reads less like a definitive announcement and more like a trial balloon. It puts the topic on the table without committing FIFA to any timeline.
Before dreaming of 64 teams, football needs to understand whether 48 is not already too many for the current calendar. Infantino's ambition to globalize the tournament is legitimate, but the risk of diluting competitive quality is real and cannot be ignored.
In the end, the World Cup remains the sport's biggest spectacle. It is up to FIFA to decide whether the path to keeping it that way is growing even further, or preserving what already works.
