FIFA president Gianni Infantino has revealed that the governing body will examine the possibility of organising 64-team World Cup. The ongoing World Cup had 48 teams, the first time in the tournament’s history.

In earlier editions, 32 teams used to participate in the quadrennial competitions and FIFA is looking to double that number.

Teams like Cape Verdo and Congo DR, who are below in the FIFA rankings, impressed one and all with their performances.

“This is certainly an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” FIFA’s president told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport when asked about the possibility of a 64-team tournament. “When you organize a World Cup, it’s important that you organize it for the whole world. It’s not just Europe and South America, but the entire world, effectively. Every nation should be able to dream of taking part in the World Cup.

“We can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher everywhere in the world. If you don’t give smaller countries the chance to participate in the World Cup, they also lose the incentive to keep improving.”

The idea of a 64-team World Cup first surfaced in March 2025, when South American confederation CONMEBOL suggested expanding the 2030 tournament, which will mark 100 years of the competition.

In September, Infantino met with CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez, the presidents of the Argentine and Uruguayan football associations, and the presidents of Paraguay and Uruguay in New York to discuss the proposal.

At the time, Domínguez said, “We believe in a historic 2030 World Cup. We want to call for unity, creativity and believing big. Because when football is shared by everyone, the celebration is truly global.”

If approved, a 64-team World Cup would feature 128 matches.