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FIFA World Cup 2030 Expansion Opposed By Concacaf
There were 32 teams in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. That number will be expanded to 48 at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
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Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has opposed a proposal to expand the 2030 FIFA men’s World Cup to 64 teams. Concacaf is the governing body of football in North America, Central America and the Caribbean.
The pitch was earlier put forward by CONMEBOL leader Alejandro Domínguez last week during an online meeting of FIFA’s ruling council.
“I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues, and players,” Montagliani told reporters.
“We haven’t even kicked off the new 48-team World Cup yet, so personally, I don’t think that expanding to 64 teams should even be on the table.”
There were 32 teams in the FIFA World Cup 2022 in Qatar. That number will be expanded to 48 at the FIFA World Cup 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Domínguez proposed to expand the field to 64 teams so that more teams could take part in the centenary of the global event.
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Earlier, UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin also objected to Domínguez’ proposal, labeling the thought of expansion a “bad idea.”
“I think it’s a bad idea — it’s not a good idea for the World Cup itself and it’s not a good idea for our qualifiers as well,” he said. “So, I am not supporting that idea. I don’t know where it came from but it’s strange that we didn’t know anything before this proposal at the FIFA Council.”
The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa said that growth at this rate would incite chaos.
“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams,” said Salman at the 35th AFC Congress.
Also Read: FIFA World Cup 2030’s Expansion To 64 Teams, A Proposal By South America
“But someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams. Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”
The FIFA World Cup 2030 will be hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, after the opening matches are held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. For the first time in history, the global showpiece will be held in three different continents and six various countries. Going by the proposal, the 2030 edition would include 128 matches – up from the 64-game format played between 1998 and 2022.
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