MIAMI: Victor Montagliani, president of central/north American confederation, is the latest senior FIFA boss to pour scorn on a South American proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams.

Last week CONMEBOL supremo Alejandro Dominguez officially proposed an increase from the 48-strong field set to take part in next year’s edition, with the tournament to be hosted largely by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

The opening matches will take place in Uruguay, where the first World Cup was hosted in 1930, along with Argentina and Paraguay.

Montagliani said: “I don’t believe expanding the men’s World Cup to 64 teams is the right move for the tournament itself and the broader football ecosystem, from national teams to club competitions, leagues, and players.

“We haven’t even kicked off the new 48-team World Cup yet so personally, I don’t expanding to 64 teams should even be on the table.”

The CONMEBOL plan would have a long way to go for approval, with the 48-team 2026 edition already expanded from the 2022 tournament, when 32 countries took part. The 2026 tournament is set to be co-hosted by Canada, Mexico and the United States.

His comments echoed the stated opinions of UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin and Asian confederation president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa, who feared such a proposal risked “chaos.”

#####