FIFA Fast-Tracks Plan to Expand World Cup to 64 Teams From 2030

The apex governing body of world football, Fifa, is accelerating its plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams from 2030. It has opened a tender to research companies that will be responsible for assessing the economic viability and benefits and it has asked the companies to expedite the process.

In another twist during a week that saw some astonishing revelations about Fifa to reshape football, the Guardian has suggested that it has seen a “research brief” that outlines a consultation process to assess the potential increase from the tournament’s current 48 teams to 64 teams in the future.

The global governing body has allocated a timeline of four weeks for the successful part, which will be selected on 14th August to analyse the proposed expansion. Fifa has required that the analysis be completed by September 11, which is a clear indication that the governing body wants to take a decision this year.

The study will raise further questions about Fifa’s governance just after reports came out that Gianni Infantino plans to sell off chunks of the World Cup to private investors. UEFA has already pledged to boycott future tournaments if Fifa does not shelve the scheme and there is further anger amongst other football bodies about the proposal to push 64-team expansion.

In another indication of Fifa’s questionable governance it has been revealed that the members associations were completely kept in the dark about the tender before it was issued. The invitation to tender explains that Fifa is considering the strategic implementation of a possible expansion of the Fifa World Cup beyond the current format.

It has asked for an impact assessment about the tournament revenue and the change through the eyes of the football ecosystem and agencies are required to submit their proposal for delivering the research by August 7.

The Fifa chief had earlier in July said that the expansion was an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this world cup. Speculations have been rife among the football associations about the power that Infantino would support this move.

It has been pushed by the South American governing body Conmebol whose president, Alejandro Dominguez raised the idea again after the completion of the 2026 World Cup.

The 2030 Football World Cup will be jointly hosted by Portugal, Morocco and Spain but a few individual games are also scheduled to take place in Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina to honour the tournament’s 100th Anniversary. Any expansion would make it likely that each of those countries could, as a minimum, host an entire group.

Fifa’s research brief is quite specific; it has asked the companies to assess how different stakeholders may resist any or support expansion plans and it also requested a conclusion about the player welfare, international calendar, and the product quality. It has also instructed the agencies to identify “the estimated revenue the ticketing, the sponsorship and media rights revenues that would be generated in total and specifically by the 64-team format.”