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Amid the 2026 World Cup, FIFA has reportedly explored expanding the men’s tournament to 64 teams beginning with the 2030 edition. The proposal has drawn criticism from across the football community, with LaLiga president Javier Tebas among its most vocal opponents. Renewing his criticism of FIFA president Gianni Infantino, Tebas argued that such a move would further damage the football industry and called on him to step down.
Talking to Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, as reported by ESPN, Tebas argued that growing the international game comes at the expense of domestic leagues, which according to him sustains the sport financially and through employment. For him, there is simply no good reason to add more national teams, especially since the World Cup only lasts over a month and only involves the participation of only a fraction of the world’s professional players.
As a result, the 63-year-old is critical of this idea. “Increasing the number of national teams makes no sense…The football industry is not just the World Cup, which is the most important event..But not everything can revolve around the World Cup. It is national competitions that support this sport,” Tebas said. “They are destroying the football industry…They don’t realize; they decide irresponsibly.”
Tebas believes Infantino should step down
The proposed 64-team expansion is among the ideas that have drawn the strongest criticism of FIFA’s recent direction. In this year’s edition, the federation decided to expand to 48 teams from 32, which has been the number since 1998. With the hosts for the next two World Cups already confirmed, the White House has expressed confidence that the U.S. could handle a tournament of such scale should it secure the hosting rights in 2038, citing its role in this year’s event.
Beyond the expansion proposal, the tournament itself also came under scrutiny for issues. There was the issue of the hydration breaks, with many fans arguing they not only disrupted the flow of matches but also served as opportunities for additional advertising. It’s been widely criticized for being a clear “Americanization” of football, a criticism that was only intensified when FIFA announced that the World Cup winners would be awarded championship rings.
Infantino also faced criticism over the Folarin Balogun suspension saga, one of several controversies that emerged during the World Cup. The one-match suspension for the red card was overturned after United States President Donald Trump confirmed that he contacted the FIFA chief to review the call. Balogun ultimately played against Belgium but the USMNT lost, resulting in their heartbreaking exit.
Although Infantino viewed the World Cup a success, saying that “we united the world,” some are calling for him to resign from his post, Tebas being one of them. Ex-FIFA president Sepp Blatter had a similar sentiment. Despite the criticism, Infantino appears well positioned to secure a fourth term after reportedly receiving the backing of hundreds of FIFA member associations.
That’s why Tebas is not hopeful. “In my opinion, yes [he should resign], I think [he] has had his day…But he has the support of the system, of the federations, there is not much more to add, right?” he said. “There is no opposition candidate, no one wants to present themselves to lose. This is the system and it is a system that is sick at the source.”
