As excitement builds for the 2030 FIFA World Cup across Spain, Morocco, and Portugal with opening games in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay tensions are rising behind the scenes over a controversial proposal to expand the tournament to 64 teams.
CONMEBOL, South America’s football confederation, recently submitted a formal request to FIFA advocating for the expansion, claiming it would honor the tournament’s 100th anniversary with greater inclusion and global representation. But the idea has sparked strong opposition from major football confederations around the world.
CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani led the charge against the proposal, labeling it “unrealistic and unnecessary.” Speaking to ESPN, he stressed that the expansion to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup already strikes a balance between inclusion and quality.
“There’s no need to go beyond 48. We’ve already achieved expansion, and that brings enough inclusion while maintaining competitiveness,” he said.
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) also dismissed the idea, warning of potential “chaos” and logistical nightmares. UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin echoed these sentiments, emphasizing the strain such an expansion would place on the qualification process and tournament organization.
“I think it’s a bad idea. It’s not good for the World Cup or for our qualifiers,” Čeferin said bluntly.
Despite the opposition, CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez remains firm in his stance, stating that the centenary edition of the World Cup deserves something “historic and inclusive.”
The final decision now rests with FIFA, which is expected to address the matter during its Congress on May 15 in Paraguay. Until then, the football world remains divided over whether the beautiful game needs an even bigger stage or if bigger could mean too much.
