CONMEBOL chief backs 64-team World Cup for 2030

CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez has reiterated his support for expanding the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams, saying on social media that the centenary edition should feature a larger field.

"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," Dominguez wrote on X.

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The 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Spain, Morocco and Portugal, with Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each staging one centenary match. FIFA has not officially approved the proposal.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed on July 12 that the governing body will discuss the possibility after the 2026 World Cup.

"This is certainly an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup," Infantino said.

"When you organise a World Cup, it's important that you organise it for the whole world. It's not just Europe and South America, but the entire world, effectively. Every nation should be able to dream of taking part in the World Cup.

"We can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it's getting higher and higher everywhere in the world. If you don't give smaller countries the chance to participate in the World Cup, they also lose the incentive to keep improving."

The 2026 World Cup was the first to feature 48 teams and 104 matches. A 64-team tournament would increase the schedule to 128 matches.