Fifa eyeing up 64-team World Cup for next tournament in 2030

Fifa are understood to be eyeing up a 64-team World Cup for the next tournament in 2030.

The governing body's president, Gianni Infantino, said the idea of an additional 16 nations taking part "will be examined and discussed".

The tournament was expanded this year to 48 teams from its original 32, with a third-place system used to determine which sides will reach the knockout stages.

However, with 64 teams, it is understood this will be scrapped, with the top two from each group qualifying for the last 32.

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Infantino claimed that the expansion to 48 teams has been a "100 per cent success" despite criticism from fans and teams.

Ghana's head coach Carlos Queiroz described it as "vulgar and ordinary".

Infantino wants to go one step further now, ahead of the 2030 World Cup hosted across six nations, and bring in a further 16 teams.

He told Bluewin: "It (a 64-team tournament) is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup.

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"Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.

"You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high and it's getting higher and higher, all over the world."

The 2030 World Cup will have one match each in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

The tournament will then move to North Africa and Europe, being split between Morocco, Portugal and Spain.

A tournament with 64 teams was initially proposed by Uruguayan football official Ignacio Alonso.

The president of Conmebol, the South American confederation, Alejandro Dominguez, also backed the expansion, describing the tournament as a "dream".

Jurgen Klopp, who looks set to become the Germany manager, has mixed opinions over the initial expansion to 48 teams.

He told the BBC: "As a former coach, I've said it before, and I'll say it again: footballers play too many matches.

"They say it's just one more game and one more week, but that's not true. For top players, there's simply too much football overall.

"But now, when I'm here and see all these national teams, the sea of colours, happy people, their emotions and commitment – I think of Curaçao, Cape Verde, Haiti… It's wonderful.

"That's why I try to switch off my inner professional coach and just enjoy the spectacle. It really is something special. Yes, 48 teams at the World Cup is not my ideal format. But, as contradictory as it may sound, at this tournament I'm fine with it.

"Although the problem itself hasn't gone away: in modern football, there are still too many matches as before."

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