64 teams at the World Cup possible: Infantino announces new plans

FIFA President Gianni Infantino is not ruling out the idea of expanding the number of participants in the FIFA World Cup to 64 teams in the future. This statement comes against the backdrop of the 2026 World Cup, which is being held for the first time with 48 teams on the pitches of the USA, Mexico, and Canada. However, whether the FIFA head can see these global plans through to the end remains a major question. Zamin.uz presents the details of the new format of the Mundial and the political scandal brewing around Infantino.

«Opportunity for all»: moving from a 48-team format to 64

The 56-year-old football official Blue Sport noted in an interview with the publication that the current tournament with 48 teams has fully justified itself and is proving successful.

According to Infantino, thanks to the expanded format, new forces are emerging in world football:

• African phenomenon: In the current competition, 9 out of 10 teams from the African continent reached the knockout stage. For comparison, only 5 representatives from this continent participated in the previous World Cup.

• Global equality: National teams from all continents managed to score goals and earn at least one point.

«In organizing the tournament, it is important to make it open not only for Europe and South America, but for the whole world. Every country should have the opportunity to dream of participating in the World Cup,» said the FIFA president.

Recall that the initiative to move to a 64-team format was proposed back in 2025 by CONMEBOL head Alejandro Domínguez. He suggested testing this format at the 2030 World Cup, where FIFA will celebrate the tournament's centenary, and Infantino also ESPN supported this idea in a statement to the publication.

Donald Trump and the crisis at FIFA: Has Infantino lost trust?

Although Infantino dreams of expanding the scale of tournaments, it is becoming increasingly difficult for him to keep his seat. A political scandal involving US national team striker Folarin Balogun has severely weakened the FIFA head's position.

How did the conflict start? The American forward was sent off after receiving a red card in the 1/16 final match against Bosnia and Herzegovina (2-0). However, his disqualification was unexpectedly delayed, and he played in the next important match against Belgium. It later emerged that US President Donald Trump had personally asked Infantino to commute Balogun's sentence.

This situation caused sharp outrage among football associations and international media. The Times a high-ranking source from the publication assessed the situation as follows:

«There is no greater political interference in football than Trump's, and FIFA's attempts to explain it were nonsensical.»

2027 elections and prospects for the 2030 World Cup

According to reports, Gianni Infantino denies any wrongdoing and intends to run for re-election in 2027. However, due to the serious damage to his reputation, work has begun within the organization to prepare a strong alternative candidate.

Regardless of whether the number of participants is expanded to 64 or not, the upcoming 2030 World Cup is set to be the most comprehensive competition in football history. This jubilee tournament will take place in 6 countries across 3 continents simultaneously:

The official implementation of the 64-team format will depend on the results of major changes and political struggles expected in the FIFA leadership in the coming years.