FIFA President Infantino Says 64-Team Talks Set for Post-2026

FIFA president Gianni Infantino said any further expansion of the World Cup - increasing the number of teams at the finals to 64 - will be discussed only after this year's edition concludes, without providing further details.

The 2026 finals, hosted across Canada, Mexico, and the United States, have featured 48 teams for the first time - a decision that was heavily criticised beforehand but has drawn little debate since the tournament kicked off on June 11. "These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup," Gianni Infantino, who successfully pushed for the expansion from 32 teams, told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport.

Gianni Infantino Infantino's Vision

Gianni Infantino didn't elaborate further on a 64-team format, saying only that a World Cup should be organized "for the whole world - not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world." He argued that every nation should be allowed to dream of participating, noting that team quality is "extremely high and getting higher" globally, and that denying smaller countries a chance to compete would leave them "lacking the incentive to keep improving."

Hailing the 48-Team Format as a Success

Gianni Infantino called the expanded 48-team tournament a success, saying every team played at a high level and that teams from every continent scored goals and earned at least one point. He highlighted that nine out of ten African teams reached the knockout stage this year, compared to just five at the previous World Cup - calling it proof of how important it is to include all teams.

The World Cup field was last expanded to 32 teams in 1998. Looking ahead, the 2030 finals will be co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, while the 2034 tournament will be held in Saudi Arabia.

Also Read: Neymar Retires From International Football After World Cup Exit

Gianni Defends Hydration Breaks and High Ticket Prices

Addressing criticism that in-match hydration breaks were a cynical move to boost television advertising revenue, Infantino acknowledged the topic "sparks a lot of debate." He noted that similar cooling breaks were used during last year's Club World Cup in the USA whenever temperatures were high, occurring in about 60% of matches but not the remaining 40% - a discrepancy that drew complaints over unequal playing conditions across teams.

Gianni Infantino also defended the tournament's high ticket prices, pointing to stadium capacity utilisation of 99.7%, expected to reach 99.9% by the end. He said pricing experts set ticket costs ahead of the tournament, and that tickets some criticised as too expensive are now being resold legally on the secondary market for four to five times their original cost.

Infantino said he expects FIFA to generate a total of 13 to 14 billion Swiss francs ($16.08 billion to $17.32 billion) from the 39-day World Cup, calling the projected figure "quite satisfactory."