Potential World Cup expansion to be discussed after 2026 edition - Infantino

ATLANTA, July 12 : Any further expansion of the World Cup, increasing the number of teams participating at the finals to 64, will be discussed after this year's edition, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said without providing any details.

The 2026 finals in Canada, Mexico, and the United States have seen 48 teams for the first time, a decision that was heavily criticised but which has not provoked much debate since the tournament kicked off on June 11.

"These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup," Infantino, who successfully pushed for the expansion of the finals from 32 teams, told Swiss television outlet Blue Sport.

He did not elaborate, saying only: "I think it is important that when you want to organise a World Cup, you do it for the whole world — not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world.

“Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world.

“If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”

Infantino hailed the 48-team tournament as a success, saying: "Every team played at a high level. Teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point.

“Nine out of 10 African teams reached the knockout stage. At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa. That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams, to give them this opportunity to participate,” he added.

The size of the World Cup field was increased to 32 teams in 1998. The next finals in 2030 are to be co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain, and the 2034 tournament will be