New World Cup format would be scrapped immediately under fresh 2030 proposals

World Cup fever spread like wildfire this summer as the largest-ever edition of the tournament brought drama in abundance.

After debutants Cape Verde stunned to reach the knockouts, Donald Trump intervened in a red card suspension and England failed to get over the line yet again, Spain claimed the international crown.

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For the first time in its history, the World Cup involved 48 competing nations as part of an expansion from the usual 32-team format.

However, as things stand, the 2030 World Cup is set to bring a second consecutive increase in participants as 64 countries prepare to join in the competition’s centenary celebrations.

Alejandro Dominguez, the president of the South American football governing body CONMEBOL, has all but confirmed a record number of teams will qualify.

The increase would divide opinion among football fans, from casuals to enthusiasts, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino has already hinted at its outcome in a bid to organise a tournament ‘for the whole world’.

We have another 1,418 days to go until the 2030 World Cup begins, but it’s worth looking at the logistics and potential optics of what will be the grandest display of world football.

When is the 2030 World Cup?

According to information posted by FIFA in March, the World Cup will kick off on Saturday, June 8.

Across this day and the next, a centenary celebration ceremony is set to take place alongside the opening home matches for all of Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as part of the 100-year festivities.

Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 in the inaugural World Cup in 1930, and the CONMEBOL headquarters are based in Luque, Paraguay.

These matches will come before the official opening ceremony and matches, which is when Morocco, Portugal and Spain take on their host duties.

Sunday, July 21 is the scheduled day for the final but with a little over four years until the World Cup starts, these dates could change.

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How would the 2030 World Cup groups work?

The 2026 edition included a round of 32 for the first time following an expansion of competing nations, with the top two in each of the 12 groups advancing into the knockout stages.

Another eight teams were able to qualify as the best-ranked third place sides.

But this format would be scrapped immediately under the new proposals.

There will likely be 16 groups of four teams in 2030, meaning there is no need for any best-ranked teams who finish in third.

Only the top two teams in each group would reach the knockout stages as they will amount to 32.

Any more would not work for a knockout format – and it is likely goal difference would have to be reintroduced as a tie-breaker (over head-to-head) to avoid a large number of dead rubber matches in gameweek three.

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Who will qualify for the 2030 World Cup?

Morocco, Portugal and Spain have already qualified as co-hosts, and Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay are also in as centenary match co-hosts.

That means 58 nations will have to go through the usual qualification process via the six confederations.

AFC (Asia), CAF (Africa), CONCACAF (North, Central America and the Caribbean), CONMEBOL (South America), OFC (Oceania) and UEFA (Europe) teams will compete for these spots.

UEFA had the largest allocation of the 48 teams this summer with 16, which is a third in total, and they would likely earn another four to five teams at a 64-nation tournament.

It means Wales, Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland, who missed out for 2026, would have better chances of qualifying.

How many players will be at the 2030 World Cup?

Each nation named 26-man squads this summer, so there were 1,248 available players.

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However, with 64 teams, this would increase to a whopping 1,664 – barring any changes to squad sizes.

Add coaching staff, officials and fans to this number, and there could be some logistical issues to overcome beforehand.

Teams will be allocated training bases across the host nations, which is where they will call home for the duration of the tournament.

Hotels and other accommodation will also need to be organised to deal with the sheer number of personnel travelling from across the world.

Where will the 2030 World Cup matches be played?

The Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay capitals Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Asuncion are hosting the centenary matches.

There will then be 17 different host cities across Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with six, two and nine allocated to each respectively.

Hassan II Stadium is set to be the largest stadium in terms of capacity with 115,000 once its construction near Casablanca is completed, which is expected to be in late 2028.

Barcelona’s iconic home at Camp Nou will boast 105,000 once its expansion is fully complete next year, and Real Madrid’s Bernabeu will accommodate 83,186.