FIFA launches rapid review of 64-team World Cup for 2030

FIFA has launched a rapid consultation process to assess whether the men's World Cup should be expanded from 48 to 64 teams for the 2030 edition, according to documents seen by Reuters and ESPN, setting up a potential decision within weeks even as the governing body faces a revolt over its separate plan to sell stakes in the tournament to private investors.reuters+1

A 15-Day Timeline

The five-page research brief, distributed on Thursday, July 30, outlines FIFA's wish to "appoint an independent agency to determine whether and how expanding the FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64 participating national teams, starting with the 2030 edition, would impact on the tournament proposition."espn+1

The document sets an aggressive timeline: agency proposals are due by August 7, a FIFA decision on the chosen agency by August 14, and delivery of the full analysis by September 11 — just eight days before Infantino's deadline for member associations to approve his controversial private equity plan. The 2026 World Cup, won by Spain earlier this month, was the first 48-team edition. A further expansion had previously been rejected privately by senior FIFA figures.espn

Tied to the Private Equity Controversy

The expansion push arrives amid escalating opposition to Infantino's FIFA Forward Enterprise, which would sell a minority stake in a commercial entity controlling FIFA's major competitions to an investor group led by Thrive Eternal, founded by Joshua Kushner. UEFA has threatened to boycott FIFA competitions unless the plan is scrapped, while Concacaf and the Asian Football Confederation have also formally rejected it.sports.yahoo+1

Infantino's senior adviser, Carlos Cordeiro, resigned on Friday, calling the FFE proposal "a bad deal for football." Critics had warned that private investors would seek ever-larger, ever-more-frequent tournaments to maximize returns — a concern the 64-team proposal now appears to validate.espn+1

Opposition and Uncertain Path Forward

AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa has said further expansion would bring "chaos," while Concacaf chief Victor Montagliani warned it could damage "the broader football ecosystem." UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has called the idea a "bad idea." If both the privatization and expansion plans advance and UEFA follows through on its boycott threat, two-thirds of the 2030 primary host nations — Spain and Portugal — would not be competing.independent+1

South American football confederation president Alejandro Dominguez remains a supporter, having called for a 64-team tournament as early as 2030. The ultimate decision rests with the FIFA Council, but the compressed timeline and mounting opposition suggest the proposal faces a turbulent path forward.independent