The Conmebol president dreams of expanding the number of participants in the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams to honor the centenary of the first World Cup

A few hours after Spain managed to be proclaimed world champions for the second time in its history in the United States, some eyes are already focused on the next 2030 World Cup, and on the number of national teams that may participate in the next tournament.

Alejandro Domínguez, president of Conmebol, has published a message through his X social network congratulating on this World Cup and talking about the next one: "We experienced a historic World Cup, the first with 48 teams, a true success. Congratulations dear Gianni Infantino and all the friends of FIFA for such a great organization and congratulations Spain for being the new world champion. In 2030, we'll see each other at home with the dream of playing it with 64 teams to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup!"

Vivimos un Mundial histórico, el primero con 48 equipos, un verdadero éxito. Felicitaciones querido Gianni Infantino y a todos los amigos de la FIFA por tan grande organización y felicidades España por ser el nuevo campeón del mundo.

¡En 2030, nos vemos en casa con el sueño de… pic.twitter.com/EbZJfEIXRI

— Alejandro Domínguez (@agdws) July 20, 2026

The 2030 World Cup will be held with Spain as the main host, in addition to Portugal and Morocco. But as it is the centenary of the first World Cup, the inaugural matches of the next World Cup will be held in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. For this reason, the president of Conmebol sees a great opportunity to expand the number of participating teams from 48 to 64: "The next one is at home! In 2030, the World Cup comes to Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, a great opportunity for football, to celebrate the Centenary of the World Cup with a 64-team tournament," exclaimed Domínguez.

However, just a few days ago, Gianni Infantino stated that the plan to expand the tournament to 64 teams was still under consideration and would be discussed after the 2026 World Cup. If approved, it would be the second consecutive expansion. Between 1998 and 2022, the World Cup had only 32 teams, and for 2026, it was expanded to 48. With 64 participants, the format would change from 12 groups to 16. The round of sixteen that has been implemented in this World Cup would be maintained, but the 8 best third-place teams would no longer qualify. Now this round would only be played by the top two teams from each group.

Even so, the decision is still not official, in fact, it seems that the 64-team World Cup is further away than Alejandro Domínguez would like. UEFA has positioned itself against the expansion, and the president of the Asian Football Confederation has stated that this decision would lead to "chaos." The host nations of the tournament, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, have also positioned themselves against 16 more teams playing in their World Cup.