FIFA “examining” 64-nation World Cup in 2030 – How this benefits UAE
The FIFA president is open to extending the number of nations at the World Cup again
Dubai: FIFA president Gianni Infantino will assess the possibility of hosting a 64-team World Cup following the 2026 World Cup.
This summer’s tournament has welcomed the most nations ever to compete at the World Cup with 48 teams making the trip to North America.
A potential expansion of the competition would create valuable opportunities for emerging football nations such as the UAE, whose narrowly missed out on qualification for this summer’s tournament, highlighting how a larger field could give more competitive teams a realistic pathway to the global stage.
Despite facing criticism on the decision before the tournament, Infantino feels the expansion of the World Cup has been a success and will therefore look at how a 64-team World Cup could work.
"When organising a World Cup, it's important to organise it for the whole world - not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup,” said the FIFA president.
"You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it's getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don't give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they'll lack the incentive to keep improving.
"These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup.”
UAE show evidence of continued progress
The UAE's performances in the qualification campaign for the 2026 World Cup underlined the progress the nation has made on the international stage.
Reaching the final phase of Asian qualifying, the UAE came closer to returning to the World Cup than at any point since their historic appearance in Italy in 1990, demonstrating their growing competitiveness against the continent's strongest sides.
While qualification ultimately proved just out of reach, the campaign showcased the strength of Emirati football and highlighted how nations operating just below the traditional elite will benefit from a larger expansion.
Opening the door to surprise success stories
One of the clearest benefits of an expanded World Cup is the opportunity it creates for emerging football nations to compete on the sport's biggest stage.
Rather than simply increasing participation, a larger tournament has the potential to make the competition more representative of football's global growth, allowing countries that have traditionally found qualification out of reach to test themselves against the world's elite.
This summer's tournament provided several examples of how greater access can produce compelling stories and raise the standard of competition across entire regions.
African football, in particular, demonstrated the value of broader representation. An impressive nine of the continent's ten representatives progressed to the knockout stages, highlighting the growing depth and quality within African football.
Among the standout performers were Cape Verde, whose remarkable run captured the imagination of supporters around the world. Competing in just their first World Cup, the island nation not only advanced beyond the group stage but pushed Argentina all the way in a thrilling 3-2 Round of 32 defeat, proving that smaller nations can do far more than simply make up the numbers.
Far from diluting the quality of the competition, this summer's World Cup suggested that expansion can enrich it.
