If the World Cup expands to 64 teams, the format will be simpler, and the rule of the third-place group finisher advancing will be abolished.
According to UK media talkSPORT, a plan to expand the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams is nearly confirmed by CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez, with FIFA President Gianni Infantino hinting at a tournament 'involving the whole world.' The current 48-team format would only last one edition. The new format would feature 16 groups of 4 teams, with the top two from each group (32 teams) advancing to the knockout stage, eliminating the complex third-place comparison rules. Slot allocation: Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay have automatic qualification as co-hosts, leaving 58 slots for continental qualifiers. Europe is expected to gain 4-5 additional slots, benefiting teams like Wales, Ireland, and Northern Ireland. Player scale would increase from 1,248 to 1,664 players (26 per squad), significantly raising logistical demands for training bases, hotels, and transportation. FIFA and host countries face unprecedented organizational challenges if the plan is approved.
Editorial responsibility
- No named human review is recorded for this page.
- Reports are grouped by semantic similarity and deterministic rules. Language models may assist titles, summaries, translation and cross-source analysis; the page itself is projected from evidence records.
- Current automated evidence projection