Africa could secure more places at future FIFA World Cups as football’s governing body considers expanding the tournament to 64 teams from the 2030 edition.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that the proposal will be reviewed after the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will already feature an expanded 48-team format.
Speaking in an interview with Swiss media outlet Bluewin, as reported by The New York Times, Infantino said FIFA’s relevant committees would examine the idea after the tournament.
“It is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup,” Infantino said.
According to the FIFA president, expanding the competition is part of the organisation’s vision of making the World Cup more inclusive.
“The World Cup is for the whole world, not just Europe and South America. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” he said.
If approved, the proposal would increase the tournament from 48 to 64 teams, creating additional qualification places for continental confederations.
For Africa, that could mean receiving more than the current 10 qualification slots allocated under the existing format.
Infantino also defended the decision to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams, describing the new format as “100 percent a success.”
The idea of a 64-team World Cup was first proposed by Uruguayan football official Ignacio Alonso during a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025.
It later gained support from CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez, who argued that a larger tournament in 2030 would help unite the football world.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be hosted across Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
However, the proposal has also attracted criticism.
UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin described the idea as a “bad idea,” while CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani said he does not support expanding the tournament beyond 48 teams.
If eventually approved, the 64-team format would become the largest expansion in World Cup history, allowing more than a quarter of FIFA’s 210 member associations to compete.
Source: Bluewin/The New York Times.
