Conmebol certain the 2030 World Cup will have 64 teams

A historic World Cup in North America, hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada, has come to an end, with Spain taking the title over Argentina in the final. And attention is already turning to the 2030 tournament, which appears increasingly likely to feature 64 teams, at least according to CONMEBOL.

Alejandro Domínguez, president of South American soccer’s governing body, issued a statement in which he appeared to confirm the expanded format for the next tournament. Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will all play a central role in the event as the World Cup celebrates its 100th anniversary.

“The next one will be played at home! In 2030, the World Cup is coming to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. It will be a great opportunity for soccer and a chance to celebrate the World Cup’s centenary with a 64-team competition,” Domínguez wrote.

The 2030 World Cup, which will be hosted primarily by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, will begin with centenary matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to mark the tournament’s 100th anniversary.

The 2026 World Cup was the first edition to feature 48 national teams. Despite the success of FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s expanded format, there are now plans to increase the number of participating teams once again.

FIFA has yet to confirm the change

Despite Domínguez’s apparent confirmation, FIFA is still assessing the proposal and has yet to make a final decision on whether to expand the next World Cup.

“It is an issue that has been examined and discussed by the relevant committees, and we will look at it again once this World Cup is over,” Infantino recently told Swiss newspaper Bluewin.

“When you organize a World Cup, it is important to design it for the entire world, not just Europe and South America. Every country should be able to dream of taking part.”

The FIFA president added: “We can see that the standard of teams is extremely high and continues to improve around the world. If smaller countries are not given the opportunity to participate, they will no longer have the motivation to keep improving.”

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