The British newspaper The Times, citing its sources, reports that FIFA President Gianni Infantino has abandoned plans for further expansion of the World Cup. Previously, he had allowed for the possibility of increasing the number of teams to 64 by 2030, when the tournament marks its centenary.
Rejection of expansion and club tournaments
According to the publication, Infantino informed the heads of the six continental football confederations that, if re-elected as FIFA President in March 2027, he will not support increasing the number of national teams. Furthermore, the head of the organization intends to abandon plans to expand the number of participants in the Club World Cup.
The initiative to increase the number of participants to 64 teams was previously proposed by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL). However, the idea met resistance from several organizations. In particular, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin opposed the expansion, stating that it would negatively impact the quality of the tournament itself and the qualifying competitions.
History of participant numbers
For the first time in history, the World Cup will feature 48 participants for the 2026 tournament, held in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. Previously, from 1998 to 2022, 32 teams competed in the final stage of the World Cup.
