Mosaic News

Buy Me A Coffee
News without borders
Friday, 28 August 2026
Mosaic News is free to read — but not free to run. Your (monthly) donation keeps it going. →
Argentina·Venezuela·Latin America·Football

Conmebol pushes FIFA to expand 2030 World Cup to 64 teams with more South American matches

Wednesday, 22 July 2026, 06:35 · 1 min read

South America's football governing body Conmebol (the Confederación Sudamericana de Fútbol) is intensifying pressure on FIFA to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, which would allow co-hosts Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to stage significantly more matches than currently planned — a priority with both sporting and economic stakes, particularly for Uruguay, whose government has linked public investment in the historic Centenario Stadium to securing additional fixtures. The proposal, championed by Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez a day after Spain won the 2026 World Cup final, would double the number of matches to 128 compared to the 1998–2022 format, and would guarantee automatic qualification for all ten South American nations including Venezuela, the only one never to have appeared at a World Cup. FIFA president Gianni Infantino has deferred a decision to relevant committees, while the heads of UEFA, Concacaf, and the Asian confederation have voiced strong opposition, warning that such an expansion would dilute match quality, devalue qualifying campaigns, and overburden an already crowded international calendar.

Sources
MercoPressConmebol presses FIFA for a 64-team 2030 World Cup and more matches in South America ↗︎MercoPress (ES)La Conmebol presiona a la FIFA para un Mundial 2030 de 64 equipos y más partidos en Sudamérica ↗︎
This article was automatically compiled by AI from the sources above. It may contain inaccuracies. Always read the original sources for the full context.