FIFA is considering the possibility of expanding the FIFA World Cup to 64 teams, with president Gianni Infantino arguing that the tournament should serve “the whole world.”

The proposal to further increase the number of participating nations was first raised last year, and Infantino now says the success of the newly expanded 48-team World Cup has strengthened the case for exploring an even larger competition.

“We will analyse all the issues after the World Cup,” Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport when asked about the possibility of expanding the tournament to 64 teams.

“When you organise a World Cup, it is important to organise it for the whole world, not just for Europe and South America, but truly for the entire world. Every nation should be able to dream of playing in the World Cup,” he said.

Infantino also argued that the overall standard of international football is continuing to improve across the globe.

“The quality of the teams is extremely high and keeps improving worldwide. If we do not give smaller countries the opportunity to participate in the World Cup, they will have no incentive to continue developing,” he added.

According to the FIFA president, the 48-team format has already proven to be “a great success,” highlighting that nine of the ten African nations competing advanced beyond the group stage.

“At the last World Cup there were only five African teams,” he said. “This demonstrates how important it is to include more teams and give them the opportunity to compete.”

Expansion Remains Divisive

FIFA’s Council approved the expansion of the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams in 2017.

Last year, CONMEBOL formally proposed increasing the tournament to 64 teams in time for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain. No decision has yet been made.

The proposal remains highly divisive. UEFA president Aleksander Čeferin is among those opposed to the idea, arguing that a 64-team World Cup would be detrimental both to the tournament itself and to the qualification process.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) has also expressed its opposition to the proposal.