FIFA has begun a consultation process over a proposal to expand the men’s World Cup from 48 to 64 teams, with documents obtained by ESPN showing that a decision could be made by August 14
The timeline comes just weeks before FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s September deadline for the organisation’s 211 member associations to approve his proposal to sell a controlling stake in a commercial entity responsible for managing FIFA’s major competitions.
Infantino’s reported $20 billion commercialisation plan has faced increasing resistance, with UEFA, Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) among the bodies that have criticised or rejected the proposal. The controversy has also resulted in the resignation of one of Infantino’s senior advisers.
Despite the criticism, FIFA on Thursday circulated a research brief titled, “Potential expansion of the FIFA World Cup to 64 teams,” outlining a tight schedule for the consultation process.
The 2026 World Cup, won by Spain earlier this month, was the first tournament to feature 48 participating nations. Although senior FIFA officials had previously dismissed the idea of increasing the competition to 64 teams, the latest five-page document seen by ESPN suggests the governing body is now reassessing the proposal.
In the document, FIFA said it was “considering the strategic implications of a possible expansion of the FIFA World Cup beyond the current format.”
It added, “Therefore, FIFA wishes to appoint an independent agency to determine whether and how expanding the FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64 participating teams, starting with the 2030 edition, would impact on the tournament proposition football ecosystem.”
According to the document, FIFA authorised the release of the research brief on July 30, while interested agencies have until August 7 to submit their proposals.
A decision is expected on August 14, with the final analysis scheduled to be completed by September 11.
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