MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency
Tuesday, July 21st 2026 - 21:08 UTC
The proposal, originally presented by Uruguay's Ignacio Alonso to the FIFA Council in March 2025 and taken up by Domínguez, faces strong opposition
The South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) has stepped up its pressure on FIFA for the 2030 World Cup to be played with 64 teams, which would allow Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to host more matches than currently planned. A day after the 2026 World Cup final, won by Spain, the body's president, Alejandro Domínguez, treated the format as all but settled in a message on the social network X: “In 2030 the World Cup is coming to Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay,” he wrote, proposing to mark the centenary “with a 64-team competition.”
FIFA has not confirmed the expansion. Its president, Gianni Infantino, said the matter “will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees” once the 2026 tournament — the first with 48 teams, up from 32 in previous editions — concludes. A 64-team World Cup would mean 128 matches, double the format in place between 1998 and 2022. The final decision rests with the FIFA Council, made up of representatives of the six confederations.
