Victor Montagliani, president of the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF), has spoken out against a proposal to expand the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams.
The expansion plan, pushed by the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), has already drawn criticism from key football leaders, including UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa.
2030 hosts and centennial significance
The 2030 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, with opening matches taking place in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay, a nod to the tournament’s centenary, as the first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930.
CONMEBOL believes that increasing the number of participating nations would be a symbolic way to celebrate 100 years of the tournament.
Montagliani, however, sees the idea as premature, especially with the new 48-team format yet to be tested.
“I don’t believe expanding the 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,” he told ESPN.
“We have not even kicked off the new 48-team World Cup yet, so I don’t think that expanding to 64 teams should even be on the table.”
The 48-team format will debut at the 2026 World Cup, to be co-hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This expansion was approved in 2017 by a unanimous FIFA vote.
Critics warn of potential chaos
If adopted, CONMEBOL’s proposal would result in 128 matches in 2030 — twice as many as the 64-game format used from 1998 to 2022.
UEFA’s Ceferin called the proposal a “bad idea,” while AFC president Sheikh Salman warned it could lead to a slippery slope.
“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams,” said Salman.
“But someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams. Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”
