Following the 2026 World Cup's record 48-team expansion, FIFA is considering further growth to 64 teams by 2030. Proposed by CONMEBOL and supported by FIFA president Gianni Infantino, the expansion aims to represent the global nature of the sport. Under this format, 64 teams would be divided into 16 groups of four, a return to the traditional top-two knockout qualification.

The group stage would expand to 96 matches, lasting approximately 23 days based on an average of 4.2 games daily. This would extend the total tournament duration to 45 days, or over six weeks. Javier Tebas has criticized the proposal, arguing it strains the football calendar and risks damaging the industry.

Regarding qualification spots, allocation would largely maintain current confederation percentages, with UEFA receiving 20 spots and CONMEBOL 7, among others, leaving four spots for a playoff. If condensed into 17 days, scheduling would become unmanageable, requiring over 5.6 games per day. The logistical challenges of hosting across Morocco, Portugal, and Spain would be significant given the already packed international schedule.