FIFA President Gianni Infantino has confirmed that world football's governing body will examine a proposal to expand the FIFA World Cup from 48 to 64 teams beginning with the 2030 tournament, potentially increasing qualification opportunities for emerging football nations, including Vietnam.

The proposal would add 16 more teams to the tournament, following the expansion from 32 to 48 teams that debuted at the 2026 FIFA World Cup.

Speaking in an interview with Swiss media outlet Bluewin, Infantino said FIFA's relevant committees would review the proposal after the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup.

"That's definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup," Infantino said.

Expanding opportunities worldwide

Infantino argued that further expansion aligns with FIFA's objective of making the World Cup more inclusive.

"The World Cup belongs to the entire world, not just Europe and South America," he said, adding that every nation should have the opportunity to dream of competing on football's biggest stage. He also noted that the overall standard of international football continues to improve across all continents and that broader participation encourages development in smaller footballing nations.

The FIFA president described the 48-team format introduced in 2026 as a complete success despite criticism from some coaches and football administrators before the tournament. He pointed to the competitive performances of teams from every continent as evidence that expanding participation had strengthened the event.

What it could mean for Vietnam

Any expansion to 64 teams would almost certainly result in additional qualification places for FIFA's six continental confederations.

At the 2026 World Cup, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) received 8.5 qualification places, significantly increasing Asia's representation compared with previous editions.

Should FIFA approve a 64-team tournament, Asia's allocation could rise further, potentially creating more opportunities for teams outside the region's traditional powers, including Southeast Asian nations such as Vietnam. However, FIFA has not yet announced how qualification slots would be distributed under a 64-team format.

For Vietnam, any increase in AFC qualification places would improve the statistical chances of reaching a first-ever FIFA World Cup finals, although qualification would still depend on results in the Asian qualifying competition.

Proposal first raised in 2025

The idea of a 64-team World Cup was first presented by Ignacio Alonso, president of the Uruguayan Football Association, during a FIFA Council meeting in March 2025.

The proposal later received support from Alejandro Dominguez, president of South American football governing body CONMEBOL, who argued that a larger centenary tournament in 2030 would better unite the global football community.

The 2030 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be staged across six countries on three continents. Opening matches will take place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to commemorate the tournament's centenary, while the remainder of the competition will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain.

If approved, a 64-team tournament would represent the largest expansion in World Cup history, allowing more than one-quarter of FIFA's 210-plus member associations to compete in the finals.

An Nhi