There is no plan to expand the hosting of 64 countries due to hopes of a World Cup that is fiercely criticized because the quality of the tournament has declined

Sep 25, 2025

FIFA does not intend to accept the South American Football Federation's proposal to expand the size of the World Cup further.

The Guardian, a British media outlet, said on the 24th (Korea time) 'FIFA has no plans to expand the number of participating countries in the men's World Cup to 64 to mark the 100th anniversary of the 2030 World Cup. It was reported that FIFA President Gianni Infantino remained unchanged even after discussing the issue with the South American Football Federation delegation in New York.

The 2030 World Cup will be the largest ever. The co-hosting of six countries from three continents is held in a way that has not been seen before. In celebration of the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, Argentina and Paraguay, Spain and Portugal in Europe, and Morocco in Africa became the host countries, centering on Uruguay, the first host country of the World Cup. Some of the group stages of the World Cup finals will be held in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, while important tournaments will be played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

In response, the South American Football Federation insisted on expanding the host country of the World Cup in order to fully enjoy the special effects of the World Cup. It is a World Cup that has grown in size as the number of participating countries has expanded to 48 countries since the North American World Cup of 2026, and he proposed to Infantino to expand it to 64 countries.

If it expands to 64 countries, China is by far the biggest beneficiary. Since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup, China has not participated in a single World Cup. The expansion to 48 countries made it easier for Asian countries to advance to the World Cup, but China did not even take advantage of that opportunity. However, if the scale is further expanded from 48 countries to 64, the possibility of China participating will increase significantly as the Asian quota increases.

If China participates in the World Cup, the financial benefits will naturally increase for the host country or FIFA because Chinese companies, which have invested a lot of money since China was not in the World Cup, will be more active.

However, the proposal to expand 64 countries is strongly opposed even within FIFA. The Guardian said 'FIFA's official position is that discussions on the expansion of the World Cup must be made with all stakeholders, and proposals from the board of directors are obligated to review. However, internally, there is skepticism that the expansion of 64 countries is unlikely to be viable' he explained.

A FIFA official interviewed by the Guardian said, `Even if Infantino wants it, he will not pass the board vote. The 64-nation system reduces competition quality and poses a risk to business models." FIFA Vice President Aleksandar Cheperin also criticized FIFA President Aleksandar Cheperin as `a bad idea that lowers the quality of the tournament and weakens competition for qualifying.'

The expansion of the size of 64 countries in the World Cup is a topic of fierce opposition from within. China's hopes of advancing to the World Cup, which began with the greed of the South American Football Federation, are very likely to disappear.