15th April 2025 10:34:03 AM
2 mins readPresident of Concacaf, Victor Montagliani, has voiced his opposition to a proposal to increase the number of teams in the 2030 men's World Cup to 64.
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The suggestion, put forward by South American governing body Conmebol, has also faced resistance from UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
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The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, following the opening matches in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
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The 2026 World Cup, scheduled to be held across the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will see an expansion from 32 to 48 teams.
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However, Conmebol has expressed its desire to include more teams for the 2030 tournament to celebrate the competition’s 100th anniversary.
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“I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues, and players,” Montagliani told ESPN.
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“We haven’t even kicked off the new 48-team World Cup yet, so personally, I don’t think that expanding to 64 teams should even be on the table.”
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Concacaf, which oversees football in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean, has weighed in on the matter of expanding the World Cup.
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The decision to increase the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams was made in 2017 after a unanimous vote during a FIFA congress.
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FIFA's 75th congress is scheduled to take place in Paraguay on May 15, and Conmebol's proposal might be on the agenda for discussion.
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If approved, the 2030 World Cup would feature 128 matches, which is double the number of games compared to the 64-game format used from 1998 to 2022.
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Earlier this year, Ceferin called the idea a “bad idea,” while AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa warned it would lead to “chaos.”
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“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams,” said Salman.
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“But someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams. Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”
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