FIFA World Cup expansion to 64 teams
The developments in this story so far, most recent first.
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· date approximate Development
Guardian otkriva: FIFA ubrzava plan za Mundijal sa 64 reprezentacije, odluka bi mogla pasti već ove godine
No separate article for this desk or language yet.
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· date approximate Background
The 2026 FIFA World Cup format includes 48 participating national teams.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup format incorporates 48 participating national teams. This expansion from the previous 32-team standard included the addition of four more groups and an extra knockout round.
FIFA is currently studying the potential impact of further expanding the tournament to 64 teams, a move that would begin with the 2030 edition.
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· date approximate Background
CONMEBOL officially proposed hosting the 2030 World Cup with 64 teams.
Last year, the South American confederation CONMEBOL officially proposed hosting the 2030 World Cup with 64 teams.
This comes as FIFA studies the potential impact of expanding the tournament from 48 to 64 participating national teams, starting with the 2030 edition.
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Date unknown Background
The FIFA World Cup featured 32 participating national teams between 1998 and 2022.
Between 1998 and 2022, the FIFA World Cup featured 32 participating national teams.
This long-standing format preceded recent changes, such as the expansion to 48 participating national teams for the 2026 edition.