FIFA plans to increase the number of teams that will participate in the 2030 World Cup.
The tournament, which will be held on three continents, will mark 100 years since the first World Cup.
At a meeting on Wednesday, the member of the Uruguay FIFA Council, Ignacio Alonso, proposed that more countries are allowed to compete to mark the occasion.
He argued that 64 teams should enter the World Cup, and it is understood that the president of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, described the idea as “interesting”.
FIFA increased only the number of competing nations to 48 for the 2026 World Cup in North America.
It had previously been 32 teams since the 1998 World Cup.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino plans to increase the number of teams to 64 for the 2030 World Cup
The proposal was presented by the FIFA FIFA Council of Uruguay, Ignacio Alonso (photo)
The 2030 World Cup will mark the 100th anniversary of the tournament
The World Cup next year should see 12 groups of four teams, each country playing a less group match than in previous tournaments.
However, there will be an additional direct elimination round, starting with the last 32. The World Cup should extend over 39 days, with 16 different cities organizing matches in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The logistics of the transition to 64 teams for a tournament that will be played in South America, Europe and Africa could be delicate, but Infantino has not excluded it.
The proposal is likely to divide opinion and one day comes after the final of the World Cup next year will have confirmed that the final of the World Cup next year will have a part-time super Bowl show.
Instagram message from Infantino to announce the news said: “I had the pleasure of speaking with friends and colleagues who attended the Convention on Trade Partners and the Fifa Cup 26: FIFA in Dallas, where we discussed the very exciting plans for the largest FIFA World Cup in 2026.
“I can confirm the very first part-time show during a FIFA World Cup final in New York New Jersey, in association with Global Citizen. It will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show adapting the biggest sporting event in the world.
“ We also explained how FIFA will be taking Times Square for the last weekend of the FIFA World Cup in 2026, in the final bronze match and the final.
“These will be two incredible games, featuring some of the best players in the world, and what better way to celebrate them than in the history Times Square in New York.
Infantino confirmed Wednesday that the final of the World Cup next year will have a part-time show
The British group Coldplay will help finalize the list of artists for the event
“My thanks of course with the CEO Citizen Mondial Hugh Evans and its incredible team, for helping us make these incredible shows.
“I would also like to thank Chris Martin and Phil Harvey de Coldplay, who will work with us at FIFA to finalize the list of artists who will perform during the half-time show, as well as Times Square.”
Confirmation of the program at halftime has not successfully succeeded with certain football fans because they went to social networks to affirm that the “game is officially gone” and that FIFA only tried to appease its American audience.