A top-level meeting in New York’s Trump Tower between FIFA President Gianni Infantino and key South American football powerbrokers has failed to move the needle on a proposed 64-team men’s World Cup for 2030. Despite the formal discussions, FIFA is not actively planning to implement the radical expansion, citing significant internal opposition and concerns over the tournament’s integrity.
The delegation, which included the presidents of Uruguay and Paraguay, pushed for a format that would see nearly a third of FIFA’s 211 members participate. For the South American confederation, Conmebol, this expansion would be a massive boon, potentially guaranteeing a World Cup spot for all ten of its member nations. The leaders even claimed they had the capacity to host the entire group stage of such an expanded tournament.
Despite Infantino’s willingness to host the meeting, the idea has been met with a frosty reception within FIFA’s corridors of power. Sources close to the FIFA Council suggest the proposal is dead on arrival, with an “overwhelming feeling” that it would damage the World Cup. The primary fears are a surge in uncompetitive matches and a negative impact on the tournament’s successful business model.
The opposition is not just behind closed doors. High-ranking officials, including FIFA vice-presidents Aleksander Ceferin of UEFA and Victor Montagliani of Concacaf, have publicly denounced the idea. Ceferin believes it would reduce the tournament’s quality, while Montagliani has dismissed it as feeling fundamentally wrong, indicating a powerful cross-confederation alliance against the plan.
As FIFA prepares for the first 48-team tournament next year, the consensus is that a further leap to 64 teams is a step too far. The decision-making FIFA Council, which meets next month, does not have the issue on its agenda, signaling that the South American dream of a mega-tournament will have to wait.