Gianni Infantino has a favorite venue, and he’s not particularly interested in hearing alternatives. The FIFA president is actively pursuing a plan to award the 2029 Club World Cup to the United States, reportedly without putting the hosting rights through any formal competitive bidding process.
If that sounds familiar, it should. The 2025 Club World Cup, a 32-team tournament set to kick off in the US this summer, was handed to the country through the same route: a FIFA Council decision with no open tender.
## What’s actually being proposed here
The 2029 edition is shaping up to be significantly larger. Discussions have included an expanded format featuring 48 teams, which would make it roughly the size of a full men’s World Cup in terms of participating clubs.
Talks between Infantino and US officials are ongoing. The American side has shown interest, motivated in large part by the commercial infrastructure and relationships being built around the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which the US is co-hosting with Canada and Mexico. No formal commitment has been made yet, because the final host selection isn’t expected until 2027, likely after the FIFA presidential election that year.
