World Cup expansion formally discussed, but obstacles remain

Watch World Cup expansion formally discussed, but obstacles remain - Straight Arrow News on Dailymotion

Transcript

00:00A formal pitch has been made to FIFA to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams.

00:06A delegation of soccer officials from South America made the pitch at FIFA headquarters in New York on Tuesday.

00:12But it is far from a sure thing.

00:16The 2030 World Cup will be held across the largest geographic area in tournament history.

00:22Six countries on three continents will host games, Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

00:31But the South American countries want more than a handful of matches, and expansion is one way to do that.

00:38The tournament marks the 100th anniversary of the World Cup.

00:41Alejandro Dominguez, the president of Conmebol, South American soccer's governing body, wants to celebrate accordingly.

00:48He posted a message on Instagram which included a quote from the meeting with FIFA, saying,

00:54It cannot pass by as just another event. It cannot be a normal World Cup.

00:59We see this as a once-in-a-100-year opportunity.

01:03The World Cup has grown significantly in recent decades, increasing from 16 to 24 teams in 1982,

01:10then expanding to 32 teams in 1998.

01:13The 2026 tournament has expanded to 48 teams and 104 matches,

01:18and will kick off in the U.S., Mexico, and Canada next summer.

01:22Critics say expansion will water down the competition during the tournament,

01:26in addition to qualifying criteria and matches leading up to the event.

01:31There are also significant travel and logistical challenges when expanding from 104 matches to 128.

01:37UEFA President Alexandre Safarin didn't pull any punches when asked for his opinion in April.

01:44This proposal was maybe even more surprising for me than for you.

01:49I think it's a bad idea.

01:51I think it's not a good idea for the World Cup itself,

01:54and it's not a good idea for our qualifiers as well, as you know.

01:59So I'm not supporting that idea.

02:01The Guardian reported Wednesday that despite the latest meeting,

02:05FIFA has no plans to expand, and it is duty-bound to consider any proposal raised.

02:11A source told the site,

02:1264 teams would damage the World Cup, there'd be too many uncompetitive matches,

02:17and it would risk damaging the business model.

02:20Any decision to expand the World Cup in 2030 would need to be formally discussed by the FIFA Council,

02:26which meets in Zurich next month.

02:27The Guardian says the expansion topic is not yet on the agenda.

02:32For Straight Arrow News, I'm Chris Francis.