Gianni Infantino has confirmed that FIFA will formally examine the possibility of expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams after the 2026 edition, arguing that football’s showpiece must reflect its global reach and ambitions.

The 2026 tournament in the United States, Canada and Mexico will already be the largest in history, growing from 32 to 48 teams. Yet Infantino signalled that the debate over size is far from settled, and that a further expansion is now on the table within FIFA’s decision-making bodies.

“This is certainly an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” the FIFA president told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport when asked about a 64-team format. “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.”

Infantino framed the discussion as a question of opportunity and development, insisting that closing the door to emerging nations would stunt the game’s growth. “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 finals first gained traction when South American confederation CONMEBOL floated the concept for the 2030 World Cup, the centenary edition of the tournament. Infantino later met CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez, senior Argentine and Uruguayan officials, and the presidents of Paraguay and Uruguay in New York to explore the proposal.

Domínguez cast the plan as a bold, unifying project, saying the region wanted a “historic 2030 World Cup” built on “unity, creativity and believing big,” and arguing that a truly shared tournament would make the celebration “global.”

But resistance is already mounting. Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has warned that a 64-team event would not be “the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem,” citing knock-on effects for national teams, clubs, leagues and players. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin has also dismissed the concept as “a bad idea.”

A 64-team World Cup would mean 128 matches, double the total played under the long-standing 32-team format. Even the expanded 48-team edition will require 104 games, underscoring the scale of the logistical, commercial and sporting questions FIFA must now confront.