A number of foreign media reported on the 7th that FIFA (FIFA) is considering expanding the number of teams participating in the 2030 World Cup to 64 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the World Cup. The 2022 Qatar World Cup will have 32 teams, and the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup has been confirmed to be expanded to 48 teams, with a full 104 matches in the main stage.
The Chinese men's football team is competing in the round of 18 of the Asian qualifiers for the 2026 US-Canada-Mexico World Cup
Now, the 2030 World Cup in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay will likely be further expanded to 64 teams! According to the New York Times, the proposal to expand the 64 teams was put forward by the representative of Uruguay, and FIFA is carefully considering the plan. However, the benefits of the expansion of the World Cup for Asian teams, especially the Chinese national football team, are obvious, which means that the difficulty of hitting the World Cup is reduced. However, the main downside of the expansion is that it will render World Cup qualifiers in some regions meaningless, with 64 teams in fact more than one-quarter of the FIFA membership.
In addition, the World Cup will become more lengthy, and it will also face a decrease in the excitement of the event, as well as corresponding problems such as the organizer's funding, preparation, and logistics.