Domínguez wants a 2030 World Cup with 64 teams
CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez has gone public to defend an unprecedented expansion: the 2030 World Cup would have 64 participants, not 48. The announcement came right after the confirmation that the 2026 World Cup, in the United States, Canada and Mexico, will debut the new 48-team format. The idea exists. FIFA, for now, have not committed to anything.
The logic behind the number
CONMEBOL’s central argument is symbolic, but it carries weight. In 2030, football turns exactly one hundred years since the first World Cup, played in Uruguay. To mark the date, the South American bloc argue that the tournament should be on a scale proportional to its historical importance. Sixty-four teams, in Domínguez’s view, would give the centenary a dimension that 48 simply do not deliver.
The proposal was formally presented at a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025 and reinforced by CONMEBOL in April of the same year. Since then, it has been circulating at the discussion stage with no concrete response.
Format and hosts are already defined — but the doubt remains
The 2030 edition already has its structure announced: Spain, Portugal and Morocco share the main hosting, while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will host three commemorative matches to connect the tournament to its origins. It’s an unprecedented multi-continental model. What remains open is exactly how many teams will play in this World Cup.
If FIFA back the expansion, it would be 16 teams more than in the 2026 format — which would inevitably increase the number of places for South America and smaller confederations. The logic of inclusion appeals to part of global football. But there is resistance.
Criticism that cannot be ignored
Not everyone is excited by the prospect. Officials and experts who oppose the idea point to three main problems: a drop in the average technical level of matches, a devaluation of the qualifiers and an even more overloaded international calendar. With 64 teams, the tournament would need more games, more time and more logistics — in a window in which clubs and national federations already fight over the calendar.
The debate is still far from a conclusion. The final word belongs to FIFA, and for now the body prefers to watch. The 2026 World Cup will take place with 48 teams as planned. What comes after that depends on a decision that has not yet been made — and on how much political weight Domínguez can accumulate by then.
