SerpApi.Org
The plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams could finally see one huge nation finally qualify: China.
Following the conclusion of the 2026 World Cup, which saw Spain secure a tight 1-0 win over 10-man Argentina at MetLife Stadium, FIFA is already looking ahead. FIFA President Gianni Infantino has revealed the organization will explore expanding the tournament to a 64-team format by 2030.
He believes the 48-team tournament was a resounding success, and now, FIFA will assess adding another 16 nations to create a 64-team tournament before its upcoming 2030 edition. The competition adopted a new 48-team structure for the first time this summer, after maintaining 32 teams from 1998 until 2022.
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The 2030 tournament will span six nations across three continents — Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay are set to host one match, with the bulk of fixtures divided between Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. The 48-team World Cup led to record-breaking revenue, and another 16 berths could finally help get China, and its massive market, over the line.
Despite the expanded field in this year’s tournament, China’s national team still failed to qualify. The last time the country qualified for the World Cup was back in 2002, and the team has become a running joke for citizens.
“Chinese are not allowed to discuss many things in social media,” Hong Kong University Professor Xu Gouqi said in an interview.
“But you can criticize the Chinese men’s football team with no consequences. It’s still a safe place.”
China has not emerged as a soccer powerhouse in recent times. The men’s team dominated Asian soccer in the 1930s but has qualified only once, in 2002. China failed to score a single goal and lost each of their three games.
The World Cup is a conscious goal in China’s national sporting policy. Xi Jinping promised to rebuild the men’s national team to put it on a path to winning the World Cup by 2050, which aligns with the Chinese Communist Party’s long-term blueprint to turn the country into a fully modernized global superpower.
Qualifying for the 2026 World Cup showed just how far China is lagging behind its rivals. In Asian qualifying, China lost 7-0 to Japan, then fell to Indonesia and drew with Singapore. Indonesia last qualified in 1938, and Singapore has never qualified for the World Cup.
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Ultimately, getting China into the World Cup is part of the reason another expansion could be pushed through despite opposition from regional governing bodies. UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin rejected the idea of a 64-team World Cup, calling the proposal a “bad idea,” while CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani shares a similar stance, describing it as “not a great idea.”
Last September, FIFA discussed another expansion for 2030 following a formal proposal, and Infantino confirmed negotiations would resume after this summer's competition. He told Swiss outlet Bluewin: “It (a 64-team tournament) is definitely an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup.”
Critics of the idea argue that the group stage has been watered down, with some matches lacking quality, and that it has become tougher to be eliminated than to advance to the knockout rounds. The 64-team tournament would allow more than a quarter of FIFA's 210 men's international teams to compete, undoubtedly reshaping what it means to qualify for the World Cup.
