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CONMEBOL President Alejandro Dominguez has stated that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will expand into a 64-team competition. His declaration comes after FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed that the governing body would consider further expansion following the introduction of the 48-team format at the 2026 edition in North America.

Dominguez’s announcement has stirred widespread attention across the football community. The centenary World Cup in 2030 is set to be jointly hosted by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, with Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay each hosting one ceremonial opening match. This revelation followed the successful conclusion of the 2026 tournament in North America, where Spain were crowned champions after the first-ever 48-team event.

In a message posted on platform X, Dominguez wrote: “In 2030, the World Cup comes to Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay — a great opportunity for football, to celebrate the World Cup Centenary with a 64-team tournament.”

While FIFA has not yet issued an official confirmation, Infantino has previously expressed openness to evaluating potential expansion. Speaking to Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, he remarked: “This is certainly an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup.

“When you organise a World Cup, it’s important that it represents the entire world — not only Europe and South America, but every continent. Every nation should have the dream of participating in the World Cup.

“We can see that the quality of teams is incredibly high and continues to improve globally. If smaller nations aren’t given the opportunity to compete, they lose the motivation to keep developing.”

Expanding to a 64-team tournament would completely reshape the competition’s structure. It would feature 128 matches — twice the number contested under the traditional 32-team layout. The revised format would likely introduce 16 groups of four teams each, increasing the group-stage fixtures from 72 to 96. Stretching the event to six weeks could, however, heighten scheduling tensions with clubs, as players would spend nearly two months away from domestic duties, including pre-tournament preparations.

FIFA’s executive committees are expected to hold a series of meetings to examine the proposal’s feasibility in depth. The organisation faces a critical challenge in balancing commercial ambitions with growing concerns from player unions and clubs about workload and fatigue. A final decision on the 2030 World Cup format is anticipated to be confirmed at a forthcoming FIFA Congress.