Concacaf president criticises 64-team 2030 FIFA World Cup plans

Many other federations have criticised the 64-team plan.

A plan to increase the number of teams for the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 has drawn criticism from Concacaf president Victor Montagliani.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and UEFA President Alexander Ceferin have also opposed the measures, which were proposed by Conmebol, the South American governing body.

Following the first matches of the FIFA 2030 World Cup in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay; Spain, Morocco, and Portugal will host the tournament.

The number of participating teams has been raised from 32 to 48 for the 2026 World Cup, which will be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada.

However, Conmebol wants to honour the competition’s 100th anniversary by increasing the number of competitors for the FIFA 2030 World Cup.

“I don’t believe expanding the men’s FIFA 2030 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 ESPN.

“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.”

Football in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean is governed by Concacaf. After unanimous approval at a FIFA congress in 2017, the 2026 World Cup was expanded to 48 teams. On May 15, FIFA will have its 75th congress meeting in Paraguay, where Conmebol’s suggestion may be addressed.

If the plan is approved, the FIFA 2030 World Cup would include 128 matches, which is twice as many as the 64-game format utilized in 1998 and 2022.

Ceferin called the plan a “bad idea” in March, while Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa, the head of the AFC, claimed it would lead to “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.

“But someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams. Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”

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