UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has hit out at the 64-team World Cup proposal.
UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has voiced strong disapproval of a new idea to increase the number of teams in the 2030 men’s World Cup to 64.
The UEFA boss claims that the suggestion caught him and his organization completely off guard
The controversial proposal was floated during a FIFA council meeting by Ignacio Alonso, the president of Uruguay’s football association.
FIFA later confirmed it would explore the expansion as a potential one-off move to mark the 100-year anniversary of the tournament.
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However, the lack of prior communication with UEFA seems to have struck a nerve with Ceferin.
Speaking at UEFA’s annual congress in Belgrade on April 3, Ceferin expressed frustration over the lack of transparency.
“This proposal that was made was even more surprising than it was for you,” he said, protesting the move as quoted by The Guardian..
“I think it’s not a good idea for the World Cup itself, and it’s not a good idea for our qualifiers as well. So I’m not supporting that idea. I don’t know where it came from, but it’s strange that we didn’t know anything before this proposal at the FIFA council," he added.
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The next World Cup, set for 2026, will already see a historic shift with 48 teams competing for the first time.
While a further expansion would increase UEFA's representation, insiders say there’s little enthusiasm within UEFA for a qualifying process that would be significantly diluted in competitiveness and meaning.
FIFA insisted that the proposal came up spontaneously and that it had a responsibility to assess all ideas raised by its council members.
Still, the lack of prior consultation appears to have deepened the growing friction between football’s global and European governing bodies.
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The 2030 World Cup is scheduled to be hosted jointly by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with selected matches taking place in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to honor the 100-year anniversary of the inaugural tournament.
The most recent edition in Qatar featured 32 teams and concluded with one of the most dramatic finals in history, as Lionel Messi's Argentina edged France on penalties after a 3-3 thriller.
With discussions ongoing, it remains to be seen whether tradition or spectacle will shape the next milestone even