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Football leaders from multiple confederations reject CONMEBOL’s surprise proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, citing major logistical and sporting concerns.
Football officials are beginning to push back after CONMEBOL's shock proposal to expand the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 national teams, up from the already-expanded 48-team format set for 2026. The idea has sparked immediate criticism across several confederations.
The president of CONCACAF, Victor Montagliani, joined the opposition in an interview with ESPN, stating: “We haven’t even started the 48-team format yet, so I don’t believe expanding to 64 should even be on the table.”
He added that the proposed enlargement “is not the right move for the tournament or for the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues, and players.”
The 2030 World Cup will be a historic edition, with opening matches to be played in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, honouring the centenary of the inaugural tournament held in Montevideo in 1930. The majority of the competition, however, will take place in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, who are officially designated as hosts.
The proposal to increase the number of teams comes from CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez, who formally presented the idea last week. But the resistance is already growing, and the plan appears unlikely to gain the widespread support it would need.
Montagliani’s remarks echo similar sentiments voiced earlier this month by UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin, who publicly rejected the idea. Additionally, AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa expressed concerns that expanding beyond 48 teams could lead to organisational chaos and dilute the tournament’s quality.
With the 2026 edition in the United States, Mexico, and Canada already marking a major structural shift — moving from 32 to 48 teams — there is little appetite for another overhaul before seeing how the new format plays out.