FIFA to consider one-off expansion to 64 teams for 2030 World Cup

The 2030 World Cup will be held in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, where the inaugural edition was staged, set to host three games.

The World Cup has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams for next year's edition in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

"A proposal to analyse a 64-team FIFA World Cup to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup in 2030 was spontaneously raised by a FIFA Council member in the 'miscellaneous' agenda item near the end of the FIFA Council meeting held on March 5 2025," a FIFA spokesperson told Reuters.

"The idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyse any proposal from one of its Council members."

Earlier on Thursday, the New York Times said the proposal was made by Ignacio Alonso, a delegate from Uruguay.

(Reuters) - Soccer's governing body FIFA will review a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams to mark the centenary of the sport's marquee event, it said on Thursday.

The 2030 World Cup will be held in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, where the inaugural edition was staged, set to host three games.

The World Cup has already been expanded from 32 to 48 teams for next year's edition in the U.S., Mexico and Canada.

"A proposal to analyse a 64-team FIFA World Cup to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup in 2030 was spontaneously raised by a FIFA Council member in the 'miscellaneous' agenda item near the end of the FIFA Council meeting held on March 5 2025," a FIFA spokesperson told Reuters.

"The idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyse any proposal from one of its Council members."

Earlier on Thursday, the New York Times said the proposal was made by Ignacio Alonso, a delegate from Uruguay.