CONCACAF President Dismisses South American Proposal for 64-Team World Cup in 2030

The South American bid for a 2030 World Cup featuring 64 teams has faced a significant setback with CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani firmly opposing the concept.

Montagliani, who leads the confederation representing 41 member associations across North and Central America and the Caribbean, joins UEFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in voicing dissent regarding the expanded format.

“I do not believe that enlarging the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is beneficial for the tournament itself or for the wider football ecosystem, which includes national teams, club competitions, leagues, and players,” Montagliani expressed in an interview with ESPN.

The World Cup is set to increase from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament, which is to be held across the USA, Canada, and Mexico. However, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez has recently suggested a leap to 64 teams for the 2030 event.

Dominguez argued that this expansion could occur for the centenary celebration of the tournament, to be co-hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, along with matches in several South American countries.

Nonetheless, Montagliani believes it’s premature to consider further expansion.

“We haven’t even kicked off the new 48-team World Cup yet, so in my opinion, the prospect of expanding to 64 teams shouldn’t even be a topic for discussion,” he remarked.

On Saturday, AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa also voiced his disapproval.

“Personally, I don’t agree,” the Bahraini official told AFP, insisting that the decision to have 48 teams for the 2030 tournament is already settled. “The matter is settled”.

“If there’s an ongoing debate about changing this, one might end up with demands to increase the number to 132 teams,” Sheikh Salman noted during the 35th AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur.

“Where would that lead us? It would spiral into chaos.”

UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has also labelled the proposal a “bad idea.”

The response from FIFA’s leadership remains to be seen, but secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom indicated that the organisation would undertake a thorough evaluation of the South American proposal.