Concacaf president Victor Montagliani has spoken out against a plan to expand the 2030 men’s World Cup to 64 teams.
The idea came from South America’s football body, Conmebol, but it’s also being opposed by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).
The 2030 World Cup will be hosted by Spain, Morocco, and Portugal, with the first few matches played in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
The next World Cup in 2026, held in the US, Mexico, and Canada, is already expanding from 32 to 48 teams.
Conmebol suggested adding even more teams in 2030 to celebrate the tournament’s 100-year anniversary.
But Montagliani disagrees. He told ESPN: “I don’t think expanding to 64 teams is good for the tournament or for football overall, including national teams, clubs, leagues, and players.”
He added that the 48-team World Cup hasn’t even started yet, so talks about 64 teams are too soon.
Concacaf oversees football in North America, Central America, and the Caribbean.
The decision to go to 48 teams in 2026 was made in 2017, with full support at a FIFA meeting.
FIFA’s 75th congress will take place in Paraguay on 15 May, where Conmebol’s new proposal might be discussed.
If approved, the 2030 World Cup would have 128 matches—double the 64 games played in past tournaments from 1998 to 2022.
UEFA’s Ceferin has already called the 64-team plan a “bad idea,” and AFC president Sheikh Salman warned it could lead to “chaos.”
He said, “If we keep changing the number, what’s stopping someone from asking for 132 teams? It would get out of control.”