Fifa is not planning to expand the menâ€s World Cup to 64 teams for the centenary edition of the tournament in 2030, despite its president, Gianni Infantino, meeting a high-powered delegation of South America leaders to discuss the idea in New York.
Infantino met the Uruguayan and Paraguayan heads of state, the president of South American confederation, Conmebol, as well the presidents of the Argentinian, Uruguayan and Paraguayan federations at Fifaâ€s offices in Trump Tower, on Tuesday for the first formal discussions about a proposal that was raised informally by the Uruguayan Football Association at a Fifa Council meeting last March.
Fifaâ€s official position is that it will discuss World Cup expansion with all its stakeholders, and that it is duty-bound to consider proposals raised at council.
But behind the scenes there is scepticism about whether expanding the tournament to 64 teams is a viable proposition. Next yearâ€s World Cup will be the first to contain 48 teams, while the governing body has already broken with convention for 2030 by staging the tournament across six countries in three different continents.
Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina will host the first three matches in tribute to the competitionâ€s South American origins in 1930, before the bulk of the tournament moves to Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
Any decision to expand the World Cup would be taken Fifa Council, which meets in Zurich next month, with World Cup expansion not on the agenda.
“Gianni would not get that vote through Council even if he wanted to,†a Fifa source told the Guardian. “The overwhelming feeling around the table – and not just in Europe – is that 64 teams would damage the World Cup. Thereâ€d be too many uncompetitive matches and it would risk damaging the business model.â€
Conmebol would be the major beneficiaries of another expansion, with sources with knowledge of Tuesdayâ€s meeting disclosing that Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina claimed to have the capability to host all the group stage.
Expansion to 64 teams would mean more than 30% of Fifaâ€s 211 member associations would take part, as well as putting all 10 Conmebol in the frame to qualify, up from six direct qualifiers next year, plus the possibility of an extra place via an inter-confederation playoff.
The 64-team idea was first presented at Fifa Council last April, but prompted an immediate backlash. Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin described it as a “bad idea†that would reduce the quality of the tournament and undermine the qualifying competition. The Concacaf president, Victor Montagliani, said: “They [Fifaâ€] can study all they want, but it just doesnâ€t feel right.†Significantly, both men are also Fifa vice-presidents.
As previously reported by the Guardian, Fifa is also facing calls from leading European clubs to expand the Club World Cup from 32 teams in 2029 due to the huge prize and appearance money on offer. Chelsea collected £85m for winning it this summer. Staging the new competition every two years is also being considered.
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A 64-team World Cup would feature 128 matches, double the number played at the most recent tournament in Qatar three years ago, and 24 more than next year. The World Cup has grown significantly in recent decades, increasing from 16 to 24 teams in 1982, growing again to 32 in 1998 before becoming a 48-team competition next summer.
Any decision to expand the World Cup would be taken by Fifaâ€s Council, which meets in Zurich next month, although the issue is not thought to be on the agenda.
Fifa declined to comment.
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