World Cup: FIFA proposes expansion to 64 teams

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Introduction to the World Cup

The World Cup is the most important global football competition at the national team level.

2030 World Cup: Organisation and Participants

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), the governing body of world football, wants to organise a major tournament to mark the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, which will be in 2030, with the sporting event to be hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal. The idea is that 64 countries will be able to participate, which would be a significant change and would mean the highest number of participating national teams in the history of the competition.

Venues for the 2030 World Cup

The 2030 World Cup, coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the competition, will be held on three continents, something that has never been done before. Europe, Africa and America will be the venues for the World Cup in five years' time. In Europe, the venues will be Spain and Portugal, in Africa it will be Morocco, and in America it will be Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay. Initially, the bid to host the 2030 World Cup was made up of Spain, Morocco and Portugal, but Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay were later added to commemorate the centenary of the competition, bearing in mind that Uruguay hosted the first World Cup in 1930, and as a nod to South America, which sought to host the tournament in competition with the Euro-African bid, which ultimately won the right to host the World Cup.

Expansion of Participants

Looking ahead to the next World Cup in 2026, which will be hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada, the number of participants will be 48 teams, 16 more than played in the last World Cup in Qatar, a significant increase in participants, especially considering that 30 years ago there were 24 teams and previously even fewer.

Meeting in New York to expand to 64 teams

According to various media outlets such as The New York Times, La Nación and Olé, at a meeting between Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, and South American football leaders at FIFA's offices in New York, the option of expanding the competition to 64 teams was discussed, which would logically mean greater financial income and an even greater presence for the world's biggest football competition at national team level.

South American participation in the 2030 World Cup

With the expansion to 64 teams, South America would intend to host not only simple opening matches, as originally planned, but also group stages, in order to have a greater presence as World Cup venues, in this case, Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.

CONMEBOL proposals

The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) wants Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina to host a full group stage in the first round, instead of hosting one match each at the start of the football tournament before it moves in its entirety to Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

The intention was expressed by Alejandro Domínguez, president of CONMEBOL, during a meeting with Gianni Infantino at FIFA headquarters in New York, during the week in which the United Nations General Assembly was scheduled. The meeting was attended by the presidents of Uruguay and Paraguay, Yamandú Orsi and Santiago Peña, respectively, although the Argentine president, Javier Milei, did not participate. Also in attendance were Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Ignacio Alonso, president of the Uruguayan Football Association (AUF), and Robert Alexis Luis Harrison Paleari, president of the Paraguayan Football Association (APF).