AFC president opposes 64-team expansion for 2030 World Cup, cites risk of chaos

KUALA LUMPUR – Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, on April 12 opposed a South American request to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, saying such increases in numbers would lead to “chaos”.

The centenary edition, hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco with three matches also being staged in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, is already set to welcome 48 teams – a far cry from the 13 in the inaugural event in Uruguay in 1930.

“Personally, I don’t agree,” the Bahraini leader told AFP, adding that they had agreed on 48 teams for the 2030 edition, “so the matter is settled”.

His counterpart from South American football’s governing body Conmebol, Alejandro Dominguez, on April 10 called on Fifa to expand the event in a one-off gesture. He also asked for South America to host the first round of one of the groups, instead of just three matches. The global event is due to expand from 32 to 48 teams at the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams, but someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams,” said Sheikh Salman on the sidelines of the 35th AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur. “Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”

However, the Asian leader refused to close the door on a change after the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, which will host 48 teams. “If we want to discuss subsequent tournaments... that’s a different matter,” he said.

Uefa boss Aleksander Ceferin dismissed it as a “bad idea”, but Fifa secretary-general Mattias Grafstrom said the world body would “analyse” the South American proposal.

“There are many things that need to be studied, and we will take our time, consult everyone,” he said.

Sheikh Salman also suggested that the votes for hosting the 2031 and 2035 Asian Cups be held together after confirming a record number of nations had expressed interest in hosting the 2031 Finals.

Australia, India, Indonesia, South Korea, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates and a joint bid from Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan informed the regional body of a desire to host the tournament before the deadline in March.

“I’m delighted to report that the AFC Asian Cup 2031 bidding process has drawn record interest, with seven bidders signalling intent,” Sheikh Salman told the AFC Congress. “This strong response highlights a bright future for Asian football, and I sincerely thank all member associations for their interest.”

India has never hosted the tournament, which started in Hong Kong in 1956, while South Korea, one of the continent’s strongest on-field performers, last organised the competition in 1960. None of the Central Asian nations, who gained AFC membership in 1994 following the break up of the Soviet Union, have hosted the Finals.

A date has yet to be set to decide the winning bid, and Sheikh Salman wants the confederation to consider also awarding the rights for the 2035 event at the same time.

“I have requested that the AFC administration explore the possibility of presenting both the bids for 2031 and 2035 editions for the approval at the same congress when the time comes,” he said.

“This will provide the host member association a longer runway to ensure that we continue to elevate our standards.”

The 24-team Asian Cup is held every four years, with the next edition to be played in Saudi Arabia in 2027.

Qatar hosted the most recent tournament in early 2024, six months later than originally scheduled, due to China’s withdrawal as organisers. AFP, REUTERS