World Cup could grow again: Gianni Infantino confirms 64-team format review after 2026

FIFA president Gianni Infantino has revealed that a possible expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams will be discussed after the conclusion of the 2026 tournament, opening the door to another major change in the competition’s format.

The 2026 World Cup in Canada, Mexico and the United States is the first edition to feature 48 teams, after FIFA approved an increase from the traditional 32-team format. While the decision attracted criticism when it was announced, the expanded tournament has generated less controversy since its start on June 11.

Infantino, who pushed through the previous expansion from 32 to 48 teams, said FIFA would assess the possibility of going even further after the current tournament.

“These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup,” Infantino told Swiss television outlet Blue Sport.

The FIFA president did not provide details on how a 64-team tournament would work but defended the principle of widening participation, arguing that the World Cup should provide opportunities for nations from every region.

‘Every nation should be allowed to dream’

Infantino said expanding the tournament is part of FIFA’s vision to make football’s biggest competition more inclusive and give emerging nations greater motivation to develop.

“I think it is important that when you want to organise a World Cup, you do it for the whole world — not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world,” he said.

“Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world.

“If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”

The 2026 edition has provided increased representation for countries outside the traditional football powerhouses, with Africa receiving nine places in the knockout stage.

Infantino described the 48-team format as a success, highlighting the improved performances from teams across all continents.

“Every team played at a high level. Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point.

“Nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout stage. At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams, to give them this opportunity to participate,” he added.

Infantino defends controversial World Cup decisions

Beyond the potential expansion, Infantino also addressed criticism surrounding some of FIFA’s decisions during the tournament, including the introduction of hydration breaks.

The breaks, which have been used during matches played in high temperatures, have been criticised by some fans who believe they create additional commercial opportunities for broadcasters.

Infantino acknowledged the debate but insisted the measure was introduced for player welfare.

“This is a topic that sparks a lot of debate. After all, we don’t want to get everything perfect; we like to give everyone something to disagree with… no, joking aside. Last year, during the Club World Cup in the USA, there were cooling breaks whenever it was very hot,” he said.

“These short breaks occurred in about 60% of the matches but not in the other 40% because the temperature wasn’t as high. There were many complaints, as the feeling was that all teams should face the same conditions.”

The FIFA president also defended ticket pricing for the tournament, pointing to strong attendance figures despite concerns over affordability.

“The stadiums are full; capacity utilisation is at 99.7% and it will likely reach 99.9% by the end,” he said.

“Experts determined the ticket prices before the tournament. Our experts worked on that and told us: ‘These are the prices you can go with’. We see the proof now: prices that some people claimed were too high are being resold on the secondary market —which is perfectly legal here – for four or five times the original cost.”

FIFA expects record World Cup revenue

Infantino also revealed that FIFA expects to generate between 13 and 14 billion Swiss francs (€14.1 billion to €15.18 billion) from the 39-day tournament.

“That is quite satisfactory,” he said.

The next two World Cup editions after 2026 will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain in 2030, while Saudi Arabia will stage the 2034 tournament.