CONMEBOL President Alejandro Domínguez is calling for a radical change to the 2030 World Cup: expanding the tournament to 64 teams. The proposal aims to celebrate the centenary of the World Cup in a unique and inclusive way.
During the 80th Ordinary Congress of CONMEBOL, the president of the South American Soccer Confederation, Alejandro Domínguez, requested FIFA to expand to 64 the number of participating teams in the 2030 World Cup.
Through a speech during the event, which was broadcast through the platforms of the entity, and which was done remotely with the member associations, the holder explained that the proposal has an exceptional character because the tournament will commemorate the 100 years of the first World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930.
“We are convinced that the celebration of the centenary will be something unique, because only once is 100 years old. And that is why we are proposing for the only time, to carry out this anniversary with 64 teams, on three simultaneous continents. So that all countries have the opportunity to live a world experience, and so that no one on this planet is left out of this party that, although it is played everywhere, is our party,” Domínguez explained in the opening speech of the session.
The 2030 World Cup will be organized by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the special participation of Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, which will host the inaugural matches of their zones in stadiums of their countries. Currently, the format approved for the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada, contemplates 48 teams, an expansion promoted under the mandate of FIFA President, Gianni Infantino.
It is important to remember that a few weeks ago, the initiative was presented at a meeting by videoconference, when the president of the Uruguayan Soccer Association (AUF), Ignacio Alonso, read a prepared speech in English. According to The New York Times, the proposal generated surprise among the participants, but was received with interest by FIFA. The international organization confirmed in a statement that “the idea was recognized since FIFA has a duty to analyze any proposal from one of the members of its council”.
A centennial celebration
The 2030 World Cup will be the first in history played on three continents and will celebrate the centenary of the tournament that began in Montevideo in 1930, when Uruguay was crowned champion after defeating Argentina 4-2. If the increase to 64 teams is approved, the 2030 tournament would modify the qualifying phases and affect the general organization of the championship.
In South America, for example, seven of the ten teams will have a guaranteed quota for the 2026 World Cup. Since his arrival to the presidency in 2016, Infantino promoted structural reforms in soccer, including the creation of a new FIFA Club World Cup that will debut in 2025 with 32 teams.
Growth of soccer in South America
Beyond the request for the World Cup to be held in five years, Domínguez also referred to the growth of soccer on the continent. “When we say that our growth exceeded 400%, we are not only talking about income. We are talking about development and a distribution of resources that benefits all our soccer. The real growth is not in what we receive, but in what we give,” he remarked.
In that sense, the holder of Conmebol had already remarked during the draw of the Copa Libertadores and Sudamericana, the impact that the best income had on the clubs. “Today we are delivering more than 302 million dollars, an increase of 426%”. In addition, he stressed the expansion of the television broadcast of the tournaments. “The Libertadores and Sudamericana 2024 accumulated more than 220 million viewers in Latin America, and for the first time both finals were broadcast in 194 countries, including China, a destination we had never reached”.
And he announced an increase in the prizes for the champions of the continental tournaments. “This year, we will pay 24 million dollars, an increase with respect to the 23 million that we delivered last year. But this will not stop here. We are going to continue growing, and we will also increase the prize for the winner of the Sudamericana by 500,000 dollars, which is equivalent to 6.5 million”.
