Bad idea for 2030 World Cup to have 64 teams, says Uefa

BELGRADE – Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin said on April 3 it would be “a bad idea” for Fifa to expand the World Cup to 64 nations for the 2030 tournament.

The 2026 edition in the United States, Mexico and Canada will already see the format increase from 32 teams to 48. But the head of the Uruguayan football federation, Ignacio Alonso, suggested further expanding the tournament at the last Fifa Council meeting in March.

Football’s global governing body said it “had a duty to analyse” the proposal, which the sport’s European chief Ceferin denounced at Uefa’s congress in Belgrade.

“It’s maybe even more surprising for me than for you. I think it’s a bad idea. I think it’s not a good idea for the World Cup itself and it’s not a good idea for our qualifiers as well, as you know,” he said.

“So, I’m not supporting that idea. I don’t know where it came from. It’s strange that we didn’t know anything before this proposal at the Fifa Council.”

The 2030 World Cup will be played on three continents, with Portugal, Spain and Morocco the main hosts. There will also be three matches in South America – in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay – to celebrate the centenary edition. The inaugural World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay. That decision paved the way for Saudi Arabia to hold the 2034 tournament.

Meanwhile, Fifa president Gianni Infantino said on April 3 that he hoped Russia could rejoin the global football world soon, as it would signify that the war in Ukraine was over.

Russian clubs and the national team have been suspended from Fifa and Uefa competitions since the country invaded Ukraine in February 2022.

“As talks are going on for peace in Ukraine, I hope that we can soon move to the next page, bring back as well Russia in the football landscape because this would mean that everything is solved,” Infantino said in Belgrade.

“That’s what we have to cheer for, that’s what we have to pray for – because that is what football is about. It’s not about dividing, it’s about uniting girls, uniting boys, uniting people from wherever they are.”

Ceferin echoed Infantino’s remarks, saying: “When the war stops, (Russia) will be readmitted.”

Asked to explain the contrast between Uefa’s treatment of Russia and Israel, whose teams still play in international competitions despite significant pressure to ban them owing to the war in Gaza, the Slovenian was less forthcoming. He was quoted by The Guardian as saying: “If you speak about football, you can see the rankings. If you speak about politics, don’t ask me.”

While Ceferin denounced an expanded World Cup, he did not object to this year’s Club World Cup, which has drawn criticism for creating a busy summer for players.

“Now, the Club World Cup is happening, and that’s it,” Ceferin said. “Clubs from Europe wanted it, and I don’t see this as competition to our competition. It will be more matches for some of the players.”

The Club World Cup runs from June 14 to July 13 in the United States.

Also on April 3, Infantino announced that the US is the sole bidder for the 2031 Women’s World Cup, and the United Kingdom is set to host the 2035 tournament.

He added that Fifa planned to increase the number of participating teams at the Women’s World Cup from 32 teams to 48 in time for the 2031 event. AFP, REUTERS