FIFA World Cup should expand to 64 teams!
While there are still a few weeks left until the end of the 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA has started reviewing a plan that could change the face of the biggest football tournament in the world again; increasing the number of participating teams from 48 to 64. The 2026 FIFA World Cup was the first to be held with 48 teams and, contrary to many predictions, it was a commercial and fan-attendance success. According to the Guardian, the revenue of these competitions reached around $15 billion; a figure that is almost twice the revenue of the 2022 Qatar FIFA World Cup. The financial and commercial success of the FIFA World Cup has made John Infantino, the FIFA president, think about expanding the tournament again. According to documents published by the Guardian, FIFA is currently reviewing the possibility of holding a 64-team FIFA World Cup from 2030 and even plans to make a decision on this matter by the end of this year. In the event of the implementation of this plan, the number of continental quotas will also increase significantly. Asia could increase its quota from 8 to 11, Africa could have 13 representatives, and Europe could send 21 teams to the FIFA World Cup. However, this idea has serious opponents. The South American Football Confederation supports it, but UEFA and CONCACAF have warned about the decrease in technical quality of the matches, the increase in the number of games, and the tightness of the football calendar. If this plan is approved, the path to the FIFA World Cup for many countries will become easier, and teams like Iran will have a better chance of participating in these competitions. But the main question remains; will increasing the number of teams to 64 make the FIFA World Cup more global or reduce its value and credibility?
