Joachim Löw criticizes possible expansion of 2030 World Cup to 64 teams
Former Germany national team manager Joachim Löw has voiced his opinion on FIFA's plans to increase the number of participants at the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams.
Details: In his view, even the current format with 48 teams already has a negative impact on the quality of the tournament. Löw pointed out that tournaments like the World Cup or the EURO are primarily valued for their top-tier matches, which become fewer as the number of participants increases.
"Fans want to see, above all, high-level football," emphasized the former Germany coach.
Recently, FIFA President Gianni Infantino met in New York with CONMEBOL chief Alejandro Domínguez to discuss the radical expansion of the World Cup format: from 48 to 64 teams for 2030.
The expansion will already begin at the 2026 tournament in the USA, Mexico, and Canada – increasing from 32 to 48 teams. And if FIFA approves the further plan, the 2030 World Cup could feature 128 matches – twice as many as were played between 1998 and 2022.
Reminder: At the 2025 Youth World Cup, FIFA introduced the "green card", which will allow head coaches to challenge refereeing decisions twice per match.
Steven Perez
Dailysports's expert
