FIFA Considers Expanding World Cup to 64 Teams in Bold New Plan

FIFA Puts 64-Team World Cup on the Table

FIFA is considering a dramatic expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams, a proposal that has already drawn significant controversy from fans, clubs, and football administrators around the world. The governing body has floated the idea internally, according to reporting by News.com.au, with officials suggesting the sport should be "allowed to dream" about what a larger tournament could look like.

The current format, which expanded from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, would be pushed even further under the proposed plan. A 64-team World Cup would effectively double the field from the format used between 1998 and 2022.

No formal decision has been made, and the proposal remains in early discussion stages. But the fact that it is being seriously considered inside FIFA headquarters signals the organization's appetite for continued growth, regardless of the logistical and sporting headaches that come with it.

What a 64-Team Tournament Would Mean

The numbers alone are staggering. A 64-team World Cup would require a significantly larger number of matches than even the 2026 edition. The 48-team format already brings 104 games. Scaling to 64 teams would push that figure higher still, stretching host nation infrastructure, player welfare, and broadcaster scheduling to new limits.

Critics have long argued that expanding the World Cup dilutes the quality of football on display. More teams means more mismatches in the group stage, more dead-rubber games, and a longer tournament that exhausts players already pushed to the limit by packed domestic and continental calendars.

Club sides, particularly those in Europe's elite leagues, have been vocal opponents of any further expansion. Their concern is simple: more international football means less time for players to recover between club fixtures, increasing injury risk and reducing the quality of the domestic product fans pay to watch.

Player unions have raised similar objections, pointing to research linking a crowded match schedule to higher rates of soft-tissue injuries among professional footballers.

The Case FIFA Would Make

Despite the criticism, FIFA does have arguments in its favor. Expanding the tournament opens the door to more nations from Africa, Asia, and the Americas, regions where football is growing rapidly but World Cup qualification remains extremely difficult under current allocations.

For FIFA, more teams also means more commercial inventory. Additional matches translate to additional broadcast rights packages, sponsorship opportunities, and ticket revenue. The governing body's finances have grown substantially with each round of expansion, and a 64-team event would represent another major leap.

Supporters of the idea also argue that giving more nations a seat at football's biggest table strengthens the sport globally, helping to develop football infrastructure in countries that rarely, if ever, qualify under the existing system.

Timing and What Comes Next

The 2026 World Cup will be the first to use the 48-team format, making it something of a test case. How that tournament is received, both in terms of sporting quality and commercial performance, is likely to influence any future decisions about further expansion.

FIFA has not confirmed a timeline for when or whether the 64-team proposal might be formally debated or put to a vote by its member associations. Given that the 2030 tournament is already being planned across multiple continents and 2034 has been awarded to Saudi Arabia, any 64-team edition would likely be a consideration for 2034 at the earliest, or more realistically for 2038.

For now, the proposal is exactly that: a proposal. But the fact that it has emerged from within FIFA at all suggests the organization has no intention of stopping its expansionist ambitions anytime soon.