Fifa rapidly accelerates plan to expand World Cup to 64 teams from 2030 tournament

Fifa is pushing ahead with plans to expand the World Cup to 64 teams from 2030 and has opened a tender to research companies to assess the economic benefits on a hugely accelerated timescale.

In another twist during a week of astonishing revelations about the global governing body’s plans to reshape football, the Guardian has seen a “research brief” outlining a consultation process to assess the potential increase from the tournament’s current 48 teams. A period of just four weeks has been allocated for the successful party, which will be selected on 14 August, to analyse the proposed expansion. Fifa has required that the analysis is delivered by 11 September, indicating that a decision could be taken this year.

The study will raise further questions about Fifa’s governance just days after Gianni Infantino’s plans to sell off chunks of the World Cup to private investors were revealed. Uefa have already pledged to boycott future tournaments if Fifa do not shelve the scheme and there is likely to be further anger about the proposal to push forward with the 64-team expansion. In another indication of Fifa’s questionable governance it is understood that member associations were not informed about the tender before it was issued.

The invitation to tender explains Fifa is “considering the strategic implications of a possible expansion of the Fifa World Cup beyond the current format”. It asks for an impact assessment regarding tournament revenue and “the change through the eyes of the football ecosystem”. Agencies must submit their proposals for delivering the research by 7 August.

Infantino said earlier in July that an expansion was “an issue that will be looked at and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup”. Speculation had been growing in football’s corridors of power that Infantino would back such a move. It has been pushed by the South American governing body Conmebol whose president, Alejandro Domínguez, raised the idea again after the 2026 tournament had finished.

The 2030 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain but individual games are scheduled in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to honour the tournament’s 100th anniversary. An expansion would make it likely that each of those countries could, as a minimum, host an entire group.

Uefa and Concacaf have been vocal in their opposition to expanding the World Cup further, and Fifa’s decision to push ahead regardless may intensify opposition to the world governing body.

Fifa’s research brief asks for analysis of how different stakeholders might support or resist any expansion, also requesting conclusions about player welfare, product quality and the international calendar. It instructs the relevant agency to identify “the estimated revenue the ticketing, sponsorship and media rights revenues that would be generated in total and specifically by the 64-team format”.

Should Fifa confirm a switch to 64 teams it would mean a short lifespan for the 48-team format, which made its debut this summer. Between 1998 and 2022, 32 teams competed at each World Cup. Eyebrows will be raised about the short time allocated to assess a change of such gravity, which would also have implications for the number of suitable future hosts or regions.

Fifa were approached for comment.