The global soccer community has been abuzz in recent weeks over a bold proposal to expand the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 participating nations. While the idea has garnered interest from some federations, a strong voice from Asia has publicly criticized CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez’s suggestion to FIFA.
The 2030 World Cup will mark the tournament’s centennial, a landmark edition set to be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay staging the opening matches to honor the competition’s South American origins. During the 80th Ordinary Congress of CONMEBOL, Dominguez pitched the expansion as a one-time celebration of the tournament’s global legacy.
“We are convinced that the celebration of the centenary will be something unique, because only once is 100 years old. And that is why we are proposing for the only time, to carry out this anniversary with 64 teams, on three simultaneous continents. So that all countries have the opportunity to live a world experience, and so that no one on this planet is left out of this party that, although it is played everywhere, is our party,” Domínguez explained in the opening speech of the session.
Asia pushes back
The idea hasn’t been universally welcomed. Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), strongly opposed the expansion during a media appearance.
“If the issue (of the number of participating teams) remains open to changes, the door won’t just be open to an increase to 64 teams—someone might come and ask for 132. Where would it end? It would be chaos,” Al Khalifa said to the media.
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He added emphatically: “Personally, I do not agree. The participation of 48 teams has already been approved.” He then shut down any possibility of further discussion. “The matter is closed,” he concluded.
Al Khalifa’s remarks align with those of UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin, who has also spoken out against the proposed expansion. “I think it’s a bad idea,” Ceferin said. “It’s not good for the World Cup itself, and it’s not good for our qualification phase either.”
FIFA, for its part, has remained noncommittal, acknowledging that it is reviewing the proposal without confirming President Gianni Infantino’s position on the matter.
