UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin spoke against FIFA’s plan to extend the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams.
He made this known at UEFA’s congress in Belgrade, Ceferin describing the proposal as a bad idea that must be stopped.
“It’s maybe even more surprising for me than for you. I think it’s a bad idea,” Ceferin said.
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“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, as you know.
“So, I’m not supporting that idea. I don’t know where it came from. It’s strange that we didn’t know anything before this proposal at the FIFA Council.”
Remember that the 2026 edition in the United States, Mexico and Canada will already see the format increase from 32 teams to 48.
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Football’s global governing body said it “had a duty to analyse” the proposal, which European chief Ceferin denounced at UEFA’s congress in Belgrade.
The 2030 World Cup will be played in three continents, with Portugal, Spain and Morocco the main hosts.
There will also be three matches in South America — in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay — to celebrate the centenary edition. The inaugural World Cup was held in 1930 in Uruguay. That decision paved the way for Saudi Arabia to hold the 2034 event.
