CONMEBOL proposes 2030 World Cup with 64 teams to Infantino: More spots?

Infantino and CONMEBOL Discuss Expansion of the 2030 World Cup to 64 Teams

FIFA President Gianni Infantino met this Tuesday in New York with CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez and leaders of three South American federations to analyze the expansion of the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams. The CONMEBOL expansion proposal, initially presented in March by a Uruguayan delegate during a virtual meeting of the FIFA’s governing council, was the central theme of the meeting. In the meeting, Domínguez met with Infantino and the presidents of the federations of Argentina and Uruguay, as well as the president of Paraguay, Santiago Peña, and Uruguay, Yamandú Orsi. This was the first time that the CONMEBOL leaders directly presented the concept to Infantino.

“We believe in a historic 2030 World Cup! Thank you, President Gianni Infantino, for receiving us and sharing this path towards the centenary of the greatest football celebration. We want to call for unity, creativity, and to believe big. Because when football is shared by all, the celebration is truly global”

Alejandro Domínguez

The 2026 World Cup is already planned to expand to 48 teams, marking a significant change from the 32-team format used since 1998.

The 2030 edition is shaping up to be the most extensive to date, with six host nations spread across three continents. Uruguay, the original host of the first World Cup in 1930, will host a match. Paraguay, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will also be co-hosts. The president of the Argentine federation, Claudio Chiqui Tapia, expressed his enthusiasm through social media:

Statements by Claudio Chiqui Tapia

¡Creemos en un Mundial 2030 histórico! Gracias Presidente Gianni Infantino por recibirnos y compartir este camino hacia el Centenario de la mayor fiesta del fútbol.

Queremos hacer un llamado a la unidad, a la creatividad y a Creer en Grande. Porque cuando el fútbol se vive entre… pic.twitter.com/XANKxNLf5J

— Alejandro Domínguez (@agdws) September 24, 2025

The expansion to 64 teams could ensure the participation of the 10 CONMEBOL member nations in the tournament. Venezuela is the only team that has never qualified for a World Cup. The President of Argentina, Javier Milei, was not present at the meeting, but the presidents of Paraguay and Uruguay did participate in the FIFA offices at Trump Tower. FIFA Secretary General Mattias Grafström was also present. Domínguez emphasized the importance of the event:

“As we get closer to the date, we must reiterate that this cannot be just another event, it cannot be just another World Cup. We believe this is a once-in-a-century opportunity for the group stage matches to be played in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay”

Alejandro Domínguez

If FIFA approves the proposal, 128 matches would be created, double the 64-match format used between 1998 and 2022. Aleksander Čeferin, UEFA president, has called the idea of a World Cup with 64 teams “a bad idea”. Critics of the 64-team proposal argue that it could diminish the quality of the game and devalue the qualification process in many continents.