FIFA president Gianni Infantino met with South American football confederation (Conmebol) chief Alejandro Dominguez in New York on Tuesday to discuss a possible expansion of the 2030 men’s World Cup to 64 teams.
The presidents of the Argentine, Uruguayan and Paraguayan football federations also attended, alongside Paraguayan president Santiago Pena and his Uruguayan counterpart Yamandu Orsi.
It was the first time Conmebol leaders presented their proposal directly to Infantino. “We believe in a historic 2030 World Cup,” Dominguez wrote on social media, posting a photo of the meeting.
According to Argentine daily La Nacion, Infantino initiated the meeting and is said to be favorable to the idea.
The World Cup will already expand from 32 to 48 teams in 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada. A further enlargement would mean 128 matches — double the number played under the 32-team format used between 1998 and 2022.
The 2030 edition will be staged across six countries on three continents. To mark the centenary of the first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930, a special match and anniversary celebration are planned in Montevideo, with Argentina and Paraguay also set to host one game each. Expanding to 64 teams would allow South American nations to stage additional fixtures.
