EXCLUSIVE: 2030 World Cup to EXPAND to 64 TEAMS!
FIFA's 2030 World Cup will feature 64 teams, up from 48, to celebrate its 100th anniversary with matches in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and beyond.
CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez has officially confirmed that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will be contested by 64 national teams, up from the initially planned 48.
The move commemorates the 100th anniversary of the very first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930. The anniversary edition will be mainly hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, while Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will stage the opening matches to honor the tournament's centennial.
This new format boosts the number of participating teams from 48 to 64, giving more countries the chance to compete in the world’s premier football event.
It’s expected that the expansion will extend the tournament’s schedule and significantly increase the total number of matches played.
CONMEBOL has been a major supporter of this expansion idea. The South American football confederation justified the proposal as a way to make the centenary World Cup bigger and allow more national teams to be part of this historic celebration.
The 2026 World Cup, hosted by the USA, Canada, and Mexico, was the first to feature 48 teams. Just four years later, the 2030 edition will again raise the bar, becoming the first World Cup ever to include 64 national teams.
