FIFA Eyes 64-Team World Cup Expansion After 2026
The Spin
Narrative A
Expanding the World Cup to 64 teams is a money grab dressed up as inclusion. There is widespread agreement among fans that the format would flood the tournament with uncompetitive matches and wreck the business model. The appeal of the World Cup was always seeing football excellence, and smaller nations are already rewarded for cultivating talent on the pitch.
Narrative B
A 64-team World Cup isn't bloat — it's the sport finally living up to its name. Nine out of 10 African teams advanced in the knockout stages of the 48-team format, proving that global talent is real and rising fast thanks to the expanded format. Shutting smaller nations out of the tournament kills their incentive to develop, and a sport that calls itself the world's game should actually include the whole world.
