World Cup: FIFA studying impact of expanding to 64 teams for 2030 edition

FIFA’s World Cup 2026 expansion was their first since 1998, but the 2030 edition could rise to 64 teams.Published On 31 Jul 202631 Jul 2026FIFA is studying whether to expand the World Cup from 48 to 64 teams for the 2030 edition in a move that could reshape football’s showpiece tournament when it celebrates its centennial.World football’s governing body wants to appoint an independent agency to assess the ambitious expansion plan, which would add another 16 nations to ⁠a tournament that had already grown from 32 to 48 teams in 2026.Recommended Stories list of 4 itemslist 1 of 4Why is UEFA threatening FIFA boycott? Infantino’s World Cup plan explainedlist 2 of 4AFC ‘stands in solidarity’ with UEFA and CONCACAF over FIFA World Cup planslist 3 of 4Infantino’s senior adviser resigns over ‘bad’ FIFA World Cup planlist 4 of 4FIFA defiant over World Cup investment plan: ‘nobody is selling football’end of list“FIFA wishes to appoint an independent agency to determine whether and how expanding the FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64 participating national teams, starting with the 2030 edition, would impact on the tournament proposition,” it said in a research brief seen by the news agency Reuters....