World Cup 2026: can Gianni Infantino hold the tournament with 64

According to Bbc.

Context

Cape Verde, as one of the countries that could benefit from the expansion of the World Cup, has already expressed interest in participating in major tournaments. Success on the international stage could inspire other countries with fewer resources to strive to improve their soccer programs and infrastructure.

Why is this important

Expanding the World Cup to 64 teams could significantly change the dynamics of the tournament, providing an opportunity for smaller countries such as Cape Verde to showcase their abilities on the world stage. It could also increase interest in the tournament and increase financial revenue from ticket sales and broadcast rights. In the face of growing competition on the international stage, such a step could be important for the development of football infrastructure in lesser-known countries.

Key takeaways

• World Cup 2026: can Gianni Infantino hold the tournament with 64.
• The article discusses the possible expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 64 teams under FIFA President Gianni Infantino, looking at the implications for competition, logistics and finance.
• World Cup 2026: Could Gianni Infantino push through a 64-team tournament?.

Over the last ten years of Gianni Infantino's FIFA reign, we have learned that bigger is better. More tournaments, more matches, more money. This applies to both the new format of the Club World Cup and the expanded World Cup, as well as inflated ticket prices. And, of course, there was the huge Super Bowl-style show that caused the World Cup Finals halftime to last a whopping 27 minutes and 22 seconds. But why not go further? Infantino appears to have opened the door to a 64-team tournament. He said: "If you don't give smaller countries a chance to participate, they won't have the incentive to improve." It's worth noting, however, that smaller countries are not at all without a chance - if they are good enough, they will qualify. For example, Cape Verde, Curacao, Jordan and Uzbekistan.

From a competition format perspective, this actually makes sense. The top two teams from the 16 groups would advance to the playoffs. There will no longer be any need to send multiple third-place teams to the next round. But are there other logical reasons for expanding to 64 teams? Who is in favor of this expansion?

2030 will be the anniversary year for the World Cup, marking 100 years since it was first held in Uruguay. The tournament will mainly take place in Morocco, Portugal and Spain, but the first three matches will take place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as the participating countries of the anniversary. The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) wants more matches.In April 2025, it requested a one-off 64-team tournament to take on the full capacity of the additional four groups. CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez said this would ensure that "no one on the planet is left out of the celebration."

However, there was no support for this idea among other football organizations. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin called it a "bad idea" for both the tournament and the qualifying process. Victor Montagliani, president of the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Football (CONCACAF), said this would harm the "broader football ecosystem." Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa agreed, saying further expansion could lead to "chaos."

However, the decision will be made by the 37 members of the FIFA Council. Could adding more teams devalue the World Cup? The 64-team tournament has two main advantages: a more natural format and more opportunities for developing nations. This is what Infantino is actively promoting, especially after Cape Verde's success in recent tournaments.

FIFA faced criticism before the tournament when it was suggested that the additional teams would not be competitive. However, Cape Verde managed to draw with Spain and Uruguay, finishing second in their group.The Blue Sharks also made Argentina work hard, taking the match to extra time, and lost with a minimal score of 3:2. But the fairytale stories must be balanced with the competitiveness of the tournament. Teams such as Haiti, Iraq, Jordan, Panama, Tunisia and Uzbekistan failed to score a single point, and this year's group stage had minimal intrigue for the top countries.

By adding more teams, it will be difficult to see a repeat of the situation where top teams such as Belgium (2022), Germany (2018), Spain (2014), Italy (2010) and France (2002) missed out on the playoffs. There is also the question of where the extra space will go. Based on current qualifications, here are additional countries that could qualify for the 64-team 2026 World Cup (with their FIFA rankings at the start of the tournament):

• AFC: Indonesia (118), Oman (79), United Arab Emirates (68).
• UEFA: Denmark (21), Italy (12), Poland (36).
• CONCACAF: Honduras (65), Jamaica (71), Suriname (125).
• CONMEBOL: Bolivia (77), Venezuela (49).
• OFC: New Caledonia (151).
• Africa: Burkina Faso (62), Cameroon (44), Gabon (86), Nigeria (26).

Six of these teams are in the top 50 of the FIFA world rankings - three from Europe, two from Africa and one from South America. And this is where the problem arises.Asia and CONCACAF are weaker confederations, as has been shown in recent tournaments. Nine of the ten African countries advanced from the group stage. However, only two of the nine Asian countries advanced, and only three of the six CONCACAF tournament partners were able to advance.

New Zealand, which picked up one point to finish last in its group, is the only Oceanian country in the world top ten. There is an argument that if you expand the number of teams again, you should give more places to Europe to ensure competitive balance. On the other hand, there are those who argue that having more teams participating in the World Cup ultimately helps develop the game in those countries.

Infantino will promote the expansion as good for the global game, but there are doubts it's good for competition. Almost a third of FIFA's 211 nations will be represented. Will the group stage simply turn into some kind of pan-confederation qualifying tournament for what is really a cup tournament? Logistical problems of 64 teams. Expanding the World Cup to 64 teams really amounts to adding four additional groups of four teams. But more groups mean more time. This tournament lasted 39 days. An additional 24 matches will require 20 time slots. Or five more days. However, this summer was unique for two reasons: multiple time zones and indoor stadiums.FIFA was able to extend the match week at the margins by scheduling matches over a 14-hour period to accommodate exclusive time windows for television coverage. It won't be so easy in the future, even with 48 teams.

Climate change is making daytime play more challenging - we've seen record heat waves in Europe in recent weeks. Other countries are less likely to have indoor stadiums like those in Atlanta, Dallas, Houston and Vancouver to mitigate this problem. The World Cup in Saudi Arabia is likely to be moved to January 2035, but it is unclear how other countries will cope with the growing problem.

Before this year, there had only been one World Cup with two hosts - Japan and South Korea in 2002. It is difficult to imagine that any one country will be able to host the championship again. Even Saudi Arabia. Are we really going to see World Championships held in, for example, Great Britain and Scandinavia? Or Eastern Europe? How can an Asian or African country finance the World Cup? Let's look at just a few issues that need to be resolved. This summer there were 16 host cities with stadium capacities ranging from 43,000 to 81,000. More will be needed. There should be 64 individual elite training centers for participating countries. Then you need to take care of hotels for fans, infrastructure and a support network for their movement.Expanding the World Cup is not as simple as providing more opportunities for countries.

What happens next

If the extension is approved, it could lead to changes to the format of the qualifying tournaments, giving more teams the chance to compete at the World Cup. CONMEBOL is expected to actively promote this idea, especially in the run-up to the 2030 anniversary tournament. It will be important to monitor the reaction of other confederations and FIFA to this proposal, as it may affect the future of international football.

Frequently Asked Questions

What happened to the 2026 World Cup?

Gianni Infantino opened up the possibility of a 64-team tournament, sparking discussions about expanding the format.

Who confirmed the idea of a tournament with 64 teams?

CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez announced the need to hold a tournament of 64 teams.

Why is expansion to 64 teams being discussed now?

The discussion is related to the anniversary of the World Cup in 2030, which will mark 100 years since it was first held.

What changes are proposed to the tournament format?

It is proposed that the top two teams from the 16 groups will advance to the knockout stages, eliminating the need to send third-place teams to the next round.

Who is against expansion to 64 teams?

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and other football organizations do not support the idea of expanding the tournament.

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