FIFA officially announced that it is analyzing the possibility of expanding the 2030 World Cup to 64 national teams, a move that could spark new discussions in global football. This initiative comes as the organization faces significant backlash over its plan to open the commercial aspects of major competitions to private investment.
The governing body of world football appears determined to push forward. Amid this controversy, FIFA has introduced a new initiative for discussion, which could ignite another major debate. The potential expansion, which has been under discussion for several weeks, was formally announced this Thursday in a document sent to its 211 member associations.
Assessment of the impact of expansion
In the document, FIFA stated its intention to appoint an independent agency to evaluate how such a large-scale expansion would impact the tournament format and the football ecosystem. The text reads: “FIFA wishes to appoint an independent agency to determine whether the expansion of the World Cup will affect the tournament format and the football ecosystem, and in what way.”
This will be just the first step. According to available information, the formal consideration of establishing this agency is set for August 14. Following that, the external body will prepare a report on the sporting, logistical, and economic feasibility of the project before FIFA decides whether to proceed with the reform that could radically change the format of the World Cup for the tournament to be held in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
Changes to the format and match schedule
If the 2026 World Cup has already marked a turning point with an increase in the number of teams from 32 to 48 and a schedule of 104 matches, the centenary tournament in 2030 could further this transformation. This is not only due to the increase in participants but also because expanding to 64 teams will necessitate a new review of the competition format, an expansion of quotas for each confederation, and the addition of even more matches to the schedule.
Meanwhile, the announcement comes at a particularly sensitive time for FIFA. While the organization is advocating for potential sports reform, it is also facing increasing opposition to its plan to create FIFA Forward Enterprise (FFE) — a structure aimed at attracting private investors to the commercial use of rights for tournaments such as the men’s World Cup, the women’s World Cup, and the Club World Cup.
This initiative has already drawn criticism from UEFA and CONCACAF, and in recent hours, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has also joined the call for an urgent review of the organization’s management, arguing that the project “cannot realistically achieve the broad consensus and unity necessary for further advancement.” Amid this, FIFA has opted to move forward and officially introduced another global initiative for discussion.
Source: Clarín
