FIFA president Gianni Infantino has raised the prospect of expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams after the inaugural 48-team edition concluded with Spain crowned champions across North America.
The 2026 tournament, which featured 104 matches over five-and-a-half weeks, delivered both historic participation for smaller nations and concerns about competitive balance. Infantino, who oversaw the expansion from 32 teams, has now suggested the competition could grow further to accommodate additional member associations.
Diversity and disparity
The expanded format gave debutants such as Curaçao and Cape Verde their moments on the global stage. Livano Comenencia scored for Curaçao against Germany, while Cape Verde emerged as the tournament’s standout underdog story despite failing to win a match. Six nations played knockout football for the first time, with Egypt and Canada both recording maiden victories in the last 32.
However, the quality gap between opponents widened significantly. At the previous 32-team tournament in Qatar, the largest ranking disparity in a group match was 77 places. In 2026, five group fixtures featured gaps exceeding 65 positions. While some mismatches remained competitive—England drew 0-0 with Ghana and Spain were held by Cape Verde—others proved less balanced. Iraq finished with a goal difference of minus eleven in a group containing France, Norway and Senegal.
Uruguay were the only major footballing nation to suffer an early exit, avoiding the humiliating group-stage failures seen by holders Spain in 2014 or Germany in 2018. The pedestrian nature of some group games did allow star forwards such as Kylian Mbappé and Lionel Messi to build momentum in a lengthy knockout phase.
Format complications
FIFA abandoned initial plans for three-team groups in favour of four-team sections, with the top two progressing alongside the eight best third-placed teams to a last 32. This structure created tactical complications. Algeria’s group finale demonstrated the volatility: when Riyad Mahrez put them 3-2 ahead against Austria in the 93rd minute, they faced Spain in the next round, but a 96th-minute equaliser switched their opponent to Switzerland.
The system also left supporters of third-place finishers such as Scotland waiting days to discover their elimination. Switching from goal difference to head-to-head tie-breakers meant approximately ten per cent of teams were already eliminated before their final group match.
The 64-team question
Infantino has stressed the importance of organising the tournament “not just for Europe and South America”. A 64-team format would add 16 nations but only 24 additional matches, potentially allowing a return to top-two qualification from groups while eliminating the third-place uncertainty.
However, this would likely increase ranking disparities further, with nations such as New Caledonia and Indonesia—both involved in late qualifying for 2026—potentially facing established powers like Argentina or Spain. Glamour ties between top-ranked sides would become rarer, while logistical challenges would mount. A 64-team event would require four matches daily during a three-week group stage, raising concerns about summer heat in potential future host regions.