The World Cup will expand to 64 teams: what does this mean for players.

Expansion of the World Cup

According to The Sun: Initially, the tournament featured 13 teams, then from 1934 to 1978, it grew to 16.

In 1982, the World Cup final expanded to 24 teams, and in 1988 to 32.

Next year, 48 teams will compete in the finals, and according to unofficial data, in 2030, their number will already reach 64.

At this pace, there will be few countries left that won't be able to participate—perhaps those that are hard to find on the map of the Pacific Ocean.

Is such an expansion beneficial for football?

Why can FIFA expand faster than Erling Haaland scores goals? It used to be a significant achievement to reach the World Cup, but now it becomes just a reward for participation.

Just show up, sing the national anthem — and you're already halfway to success.

This is unlikely to be beneficial for football.

Of course, it's important to provide opportunities for smaller countries to strive to reach the peaks of the World Cup. It's romantic when debutants like Jordan participate in 2026. But if the qualification process becomes a formality, it raises questions: England has lost only four qualifiers in the last 30 years.

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Four! This is no competition, it's administrative work.

Qualifying stages rarely, if ever, generate real excitement. They have become merely a means to an end and no longer evoke emotions.

England's first international match at Villa Park in 20 years was boring for many fans, and many left before the final whistle. This is what FIFA has led to... just a formality disguised as a sporting competition.

The frequency of competitions is increasing

However, FIFA's desire is only growing. This year's Club World Cup lasted longer than building HS2, or at least that’s how it seemed.

Now, the World Cup final will last from June 11 to July 19.

That's more than five weeks and 104 matches, which is 40 more than in Qatar three years ago.

In the history of human competitions, no so many teams have played so often, while previously it was enough to have just a few.

FIFA President Gianni Infantino claims that the expansion is a way to popularize football. Believing this is like believing in a tooth fairy.

The real reason is much more pragmatic. More teams, more matches, more sponsorship, more money. Always money.

But this comes at a price. Not only for the prestige of the tournament, which risks becoming crowded and devalued, but also for the players who have to endure it.

Players have already made it clear that there are too many football competitions and too little rest.

But no one is listening. Their pleas fall on deaf ears.

So, here we are again. The World Cup, which once seemed special and rare, is nearing to become just another event in a crowded calendar.

If the 2030 tournament really includes 64 countries, more than a quarter of the 211 FIFA members, what will remain of the magic?

Football cannot exist without players, but FIFA behaves as if without match schedules, it is worthless.