Asian football chief fears ‘chaos’ if 2030 World Cup expands to 64 teams

PARIS: Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, on Saturday opposed a South American request to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams, saying such increases in numbers would lead to “chaos”.

The centenary edition, hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco with three matches also being staged in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, is already set to welcome 48 teams - a far cry from the 13 in the inaugural event in Uruguay in 1930.

“Personally, I don´t agree,” the Bahraini leader told AFP, adding the 2030 edition had settled on 48 teams “so the matter is settled”.

His counterpart from South American football´s governing body CONMEBOL, Alejandro Dominguez, on Thursday called on FIFA to expand the event in a one-off gesture.

He also asked for South America to host the first round of one of the groups, instead of just three matches.

The global event is due to expand from 32 to 48 teams at the 2026 World Cup, hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.

“If the issue remains open to change, then the door will not only be open to expanding the tournament to 64 teams, but someone might come along and demand raising the number to 132 teams,” said Salman on the sidelines of the 35th AFC Congress in Kuala Lumpur. “Where would we end up then? It would become chaos.”

However, the Asian leader refused to close the door on a change after the 2034 World Cup in Saudi Arabia, which will host 48 teams.

“If we want to discuss subsequent tournaments... that´s a different matter,” he said.

UEFA boss Aleksander Ceferin, dismissed it as a “bad idea” but FIFA secretary general Mattias Grafstrom said the world body would “analyse” the South American proposal.

“There are many things that need to be studied, and we will take our time, consult everyone,” he said.