South America’s football governing body, CONMEBOL, has officially requested that the Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA) expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams instead of the planned 48.
According to CONMEBOL, the proposal aims to make the tournament a special one-off edition to commemorate 100 years since the very first World Cup in 1930.
Alejandro Domínguez, president of CONMEBOL, believes this expansion would allow nearly every country to participate in the centenary World Cup in 2030.
The event is set to be held in Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, following an agreement in 2023 between CONMEBOL and FIFA. As part of the plan, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will each host one match to open the tournament before it moves to the main co-hosts: Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.
FIFA has already granted automatic qualification to all six host nations—a move seen as a political win for CONMEBOL’s Paraguayan president, Alejandro Domínguez.
FIFA has also approved the first-ever 48-team World Cup, which will be played in 2026 across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
🚨Alejandro Domínguez, Presidente de Conmebol, propone que el Mundial de 2030 se juegue con 64 selecciones
📌Este se hará en Marruecos, España, Portugal, Argentina, Uruguay y Paraguay. Será la celebración del centenario de la primera Copa del Mundo
📻#ElVbarCaracol pic.twitter.com/GNZiSHHHwX
— El VBAR CARACOL (@VBarCaracol) April 10, 2025
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