The plans to expand the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams have hit a major roadblock, with CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani firmly rejecting the idea.
Montagliani, who leads the North and Central America and Caribbean football confederation, joined UEFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) in opposing the proposal, originally floated by CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez.
“I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move—for the tournament or the broader football ecosystem,” Montagliani told ESPN. He emphasized the need to assess the impact of the already approved expansion to 48 teams, set to debut in 2026 when the USA, Canada, and Mexico co-host.
Dominguez had suggested the 64-team format as a one-time change to mark the World Cup’s centenary, which will be hosted across Spain, Portugal, Morocco, and three South American countries. However, Montagliani called the discussion premature. “We haven’t even kicked off the 48-team format yet, so personally, I don’t think 64 should even be on the table,” he said.
AFC president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa echoed those sentiments over the weekend. Speaking at the AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur, he said the 48-team format for 2030 is already settled, warning that continuous changes could lead to “chaos.”
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has also criticized the idea, calling it a “bad move.”
While FIFA has yet to take an official position, secretary general Mattias Grafstrom confirmed that the global body will review the South American proposal in due course.
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