Could the World Cup expand to 64 teams after 2026?

The 2026 World Cup marked the tournament's expansion to 48 teams, the largest field in the competition's history. Attention has already turned to whether football's governing body, FIFA, might push the tournament even further, with discussion around a potential 64-team format for the 2030 edition.

Such an expansion would represent another significant jump in scale, raising practical questions about how a tournament of that size could realistically be organized, scheduled, and hosted.

Logistical questions

A 64-team World Cup would require substantially more venues, accommodation, and travel infrastructure than the current format, along with a longer tournament schedule or a reworked group-and-knockout structure to accommodate the additional teams.

The 2030 World Cup is already set to be hosted across multiple countries spanning three continents, a format that could make coordinating an even larger field more complex, though it could also provide the geographic spread needed to house additional matches.

Whether such an expansion goes ahead remains uncertain, and any formal decision would need to come from FIFA. For now, the idea remains a topic of discussion rather than a confirmed plan, with the feasibility of a 64-team tournament still an open question.