The president of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, on Saturday opposed a South American call to enlarge the 2030 FIFA World Cup to 64 teams, stating the expansion would bring about “chaos”.
The centenary tournament, already set to include 48 teams, had been assigned to hosts Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with additional matches scheduled to be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
The number marked a considerable rise from the 13 teams that competed in the inaugural World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930.
“Personally, I don’t agree,” said the Bahraini football chief during an interview with AFP. “The 2030 edition had settled on 48 teams, so the matter is settled.”
The president of South America’s football governing body CONMEBOL, Alejandro Dominguez, on Thursday urged FIFA to consider expanding the tournament further as a one-time gesture, while also requesting that South America host the first round of a group stage, instead of merely three matches.
The World Cup had already been slated to expand from 32 to 48 teams starting with the 2026 edition, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams, but someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams,” stated Salman during the 35th AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur. “Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”
However, the AFC president did not entirely shut down discussions regarding future editions. “If we want to discuss subsequent tournaments… that’s a different matter,” he remarked.
The president of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Aleksander Ceferin, described the South American proposal as a “bad idea”, whereas FIFA’s secretary general Mattias Grafstrom noted that the governing body would “analyse” the request.
“There are many things that need to be studied, and we will take our time, consult everyone,” said Grafstrom.
