On Thursday, UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin expressed his concerns regarding FIFA’s potential expansion of the World Cup to 64 teams for the 2030 edition, calling it “a bad idea.”
The upcoming 2026 tournament, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada, is already set to increase the number of teams from 32 to 48.
However, Ignacio Alonso, the head of the Uruguayan football federation, proposed the idea of further expanding the tournament during the last FIFA Council meeting in March.
FIFA has since stated that it “has a duty to analyse” this proposal, a sentiment that Ceferin vehemently disagreed with at UEFA’s congress in Belgrade.
“Honestly, this is perhaps more surprising to me than it is to you. I truly believe it’s a bad idea,” Ceferin declared.
“In my opinion, it wouldn’t be beneficial for the World Cup itself, nor would it be advantageous for our qualifiers.”
“Hence, I’m not in favour of this suggestion. I’m puzzled about its origins. It’s odd that we were unaware of this proposal prior to the FIFA Council meeting.”
The 2030 World Cup is set to take place across three continents, primarily hosted by Portugal, Spain, and Morocco.
Additionally, to commemorate the centenary edition, three matches will occur in South America—specifically in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay—celebrating the inaugural World Cup, which was held in Uruguay back in 1930.
This decision has also cleared the way for Saudi Arabia to host the World Cup in 2034.
Compiled by SportArena.com.au.
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