As football prepares to mark the 100th anniversary of its most iconic tournament, calls are growing for FIFA to commemorate the milestone with a bold gesture of global unity. On Thursday, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez proposed expanding the 2030 World Cup to include 64 teams a move he described as a tribute to the tournament’s enduring legacy.
Speaking at the 80th Congress of the South American football confederation, Dominguez framed the suggestion as more than a numbers game. “It would be a broader celebration of the World Cup,” he said, positioning the idea as a symbolic nod to the global reach and evolution of the tournament over the past century.
The 2030 edition is already set to be a historic first: for the first time ever, the World Cup will span six countries across three continents. Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will host the bulk of the 48-team event, while Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay countries deeply tied to the tournament’s origins will each stage an opening match, in honor of the inaugural 1930 World Cup held in Montevideo.
Dominguez’s proposal would push the tournament’s scale even further, potentially allowing more nations to be part of what is already shaping up to be the most logistically ambitious and emotionally resonant World Cup in history.
Whether FIFA will entertain the expansion remains to be seen, but the idea underscores how deeply the centennial milestone resonates in football’s heartlands particularly in South America, where the World Cup’s story first began.
