Overview

• CONMEBOL officially proposed expanding the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams, doubling the number of matches to 128, as a one-off centennial celebration.
• The proposal aims to ensure broader global participation and guarantee all 10 CONMEBOL member nations, including Venezuela, a spot in the tournament.
• UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin criticized the expansion, calling it a 'bad idea' due to concerns over diluted match quality and disrupted qualifying systems.
• The 2030 World Cup is already set to be historic, hosted across six nations on three continents, with Uruguay, the original 1930 host, staging one match.
• FIFA has acknowledged the proposal, which was first introduced informally in March, but has not yet made a decision on its approval.