FIFA plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams: fans react.

Football fans disappointed by FIFA's new plans

According to The Sun: Football fans have expressed dissatisfaction with the new reports about FIFA's plans to organize a World Cup with 64 teams in 2030.

This tournament promises to be the largest in FIFA's history, as six countries will be co-hosting across three continents.

Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina will each host one match at the beginning of the competition, while the remaining matches will take place in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

FIFA has received an official proposal from a delegation from South America regarding the expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams.

Organization leaders discussed this initiative during a meeting in New York at Trump Tower on Tuesday.

President Gianni Infantino led the meeting alongside Secretary General Mattias Grafström and politicians and football leaders from Paraguay, Uruguay, and Argentina.

It is worth noting that the upcoming 2026 World Cup in North America will already expand the number of teams from 32 to 48.

Some football fans were shocked by the new proposals to increase the number of participants.

“FFS, even Scotland could qualify,” joked one fan.

“This means there will no longer be a need for qualifying matches. We can just invite everyone!”

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One fan added: “Soon there will be no point in having qualifying matches for the World Cup.”

Others voiced their outrage: “This is the World Cup, not the Olympics,” and “stop ruining football!”

The idea of 64 teams

According to reports, the president of the Uruguayan FA, Ignacio Alonso, first suggested this idea during a FIFA Executive Committee meeting in March.

He urged FIFA to consider the possibility of hosting a unique tournament in honor of the centenary of the World Cup.

The proposal from South America could lead to ALL 10 teams from the continent getting the opportunity to qualify for the final tournament or play in playoff matches.

They also want guarantees from FIFA that, in addition to the three opening matches in Buenos Aires, Montevideo, and Asunción, each country will receive a group with its own teams.

According to information from the Argentine FA, the meeting was initiated by Infantino.

Argentines reported:

“Infantino was the driving force behind this meeting in New York. He wants to hold the World Cup with 64 teams so that Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay each have their own group. The only thing that is really lacking is support and acceptance from UEFA.”

UEFA President Alexander Ceferin has clearly voiced his opposition to further expansion of the World Cup, arguing that it would significantly reduce the commercial appeal of European qualifications.

Europe has 16 places in the expanded tournament of 48 teams, which is twice as many as 13 in the previous format, and will likely gain at least four more slots if the competition is expanded to 64 teams.

This would also mean increasing the number of matches from 104 to 128, and the tournament itself would last nearly two months from start to finish.

Despite the controversies, the idea of holding a World Cup with 64 teams has gained discussion in football circles and has already sparked considerable resonance among fans. FIFA will work out this proposal, but it is unknown whether it can find sufficient support to implement its plans.

Today, it is hard to predict how the future of global football will change, but the 2026 matches promise to be unforgettable, as the number of participants will rise to 48, opening new prospects for the development of the game.