The 2030 World Cup hosts Spain, Portugal, and Morocco have firmly opposed expanding the tournament to 64 teams, urging FIFA president Gianni Infantino to abandon the proposal.
"If expanded to 64 nations, Spain's hosting rights would drop from 80% to nearly 55%," a source stated. “It would no longer be 'Spain hosting the World Cup' but a global event spanning three continents and five additional countries.”
While acknowledging initial discussions about a May-September timeline or winter scheduling, the trio emphasized health risks and diminished quality. "Increasing games from 32 to 64 would overburden players already struggling with packed calendars," they warned. “Claiming Spain doesn't care about player welfare is absurd—this is a collective failure to prioritize athlete safety.”
The nations also criticized the 2025 Intercontinental Cup (Euro vs. Copa América champions) as another health hazard. "Such decisions prioritize commercial gains over human limits," they concluded.
