South America’s football governing body, Conmebol, has officially proposed expanding the men’s 2030 World Cup to 64 teams.
The tournament is set to be co-hosted by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, with the opening matches taking place in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
While the 2026 World Cup will already feature an expanded format of 48 teams, CONMEBOL is pushing for an even larger tournament in 2030 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the competition.
This will allow all countries to have the opportunity to live the world experience and so nobody on the planet is left out of the party,” said Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez at the body’s congress on Thursday.
We are convinced that the centennial celebration will be unique because 100 years are celebrated only once.
The proposal was first “spontaneously raised” during a FIFA Council meeting in March by Ignacio Alonso, president of the Uruguayan Football Federation.
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In a statement released Friday, FIFA emphasized its responsibility to review any proposal put forward by a Council member.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino attended Thursday’s Conmebol Congress, where he underscored the 2030 tournament as an “exceptional milestone.”
The decision to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams was made back in 2017 after a unanimous vote during a FIFA Congress.
FIFA’s 75th Congress is scheduled for 15 May in Paraguay, where Conmebol’s proposal could come under formal discussion.
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If approved, the 2030 World Cup would feature 128 matches—double the 64-game format used from 1998 to 2022.
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However, critics argue that such expansion could dilute the qualification process. Environmental advocacy group Fossil Free Football has also condemned the plan to stage the event across three continents, calling it a “climate nightmare.”
Earlier this month, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin dismissed the proposal as a “bad idea.”
“This proposal was maybe even more surprising for me than you. I think it is a bad idea,” Ceferin said at a news conference.
For the first time in history, the 2030 World Cup will be staged across three continents.
Spain, Portugal, and Morocco were confirmed as the main hosts in 2024, while matches in Argentina and Paraguay will commemorate the centenary of the inaugural World Cup.
Uruguay, the original tournament champions in 1930, has also been named a co-host and will stage one match as part of the celebrations.
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