FIFA Considers Expanding 2030 World Cup to 64 Teams

On March 7th, Beijing time, it was reported that FIFA is considering expanding the number of participating teams in the 2030 World Cup to 64 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the tournament. In the 2022 Qatar World Cup, there were 32 participating teams. For the 2026 World Cup jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico, the number of teams has been confirmed to increase to 48, with a total of 104 matches in the main tournament stage. Now, it is possible that the 2030 World Cup, which will be held in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, will further expand to 64 teams.

It is reported that the proposal to expand to 64 teams was put forward by representatives from Uruguay. Gianni Infantino seems to be quite interested in it, and FIFA is carefully considering this plan. The main drawback of the expansion is that it will make the qualifying matches in some regions meaningless, as 64 teams actually exceed one - quarter of FIFA's member associations. In addition, a longer World Cup main tournament will face problems such as a decline in the excitement of the event, as well as issues related to the host's funds, preparations, and logistics.

However, the benefits of the expansion, at least for the Chinese national team, are obvious. The difficulty of qualifying for the World Cup will be significantly reduced.