FOOTBALL fans have been left unimpressed with news that Fifa chiefs are holding talks over a SIXTY FOUR-team World Cup in 2030.
The tournament is set to be Fifa‘s most ambitious edition to date, with six countries sharing hosting duties across three continents.
Fifa have come under fire from fans after president Gianni Infantino held talks over a 64-team World Cup in 2030[/caption]
The World Cup will celebrate its centenary in 2030 and the idea of a unique tournament has been pitched[/caption]
Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina will each host one game at the start of the competition, before Spain, Portugal and Morocco stage the rest of the schedule.
Fifa received a formal pitch from a South American delegation about expanding their World Cup to 64 teams.
Chiefs are said to have discussed the idea at their New York headquarters at Trump Tower on Tuesday.
President Gianni Infantino headed up the meeting alongside general secretary Mattias Grafstrom and politicians and football chiefs from Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.
The upcoming 2026 World Cup in North America will already see an expansion from 32 teams to 48.
And some football supporters were left baffled by the latest proposals to increase the numbers even further.
One joked: “FFS, even Scotland would qualify,” as another accused Fifa of “watering down football”.
A third wrote: “No need for as many qualifiers then. Might as well just have everyone in it!”
BEST ONLINE CASINOS – TOP SITES IN THE UK
Another fan agreed and said: “There’s not going to be much point having WC qualifiers soon.”
Others raged: “It’s the World Cup, not the Olympics,” and “stop ruining football!”
It’s claimed Uruguayan FA chief Ignacio Alonso first pitched the idea during a Fifa Council meeting back in March.
He later asked Fifa to consider marking the centenary of the World Cup with a unique tournament.
The proposal from the South Americans means potentially mean ALL 10 sides from the continent either could qualify directly or have the chance of a play-off slot.
And they also want guarantees from Fifa that, rather than just the initial three games are played in Buenos Aires, Montevideo and Asuncion, each country would get an entire group including their own teams.
According to Argentine FA sources, the meeting was Infantino’s idea.
The Argentines briefed: “Infantino was the driving force behind the meeting in New York.
“He wants a 64-team World Cup, and for Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay to each have a full group. What’s missing, in reality, is Uefa‘s acceptance and support of this.”
Uefa President Aleksander Ceferin has made clear his opposition to any further World Cup expansion, arguing it would significantly damage the commercial appeal of European qualifying.
Europe has 16 places at the expanded 48-team tournament, up from 13 in previous World Cup, and would be expected to get at least another four slots if the event went up to 64.
That would also mean going up from 104 matches next year to 128, with the tournament lasting nearly two months from start to finish.
