The President of the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), Aleksander Čeferin, expressed his rejection of the idea of organizing a World Cup with 64 teams in 2030 during a press conference held on Thursday, April 3, calling it a «bad idea». Čeferin responded to a question about the proposal raised at the FIFA Council meeting on March 5, stating, «This proposal might surprise me more than it surprises you. I think it's a bad idea». This proposal was put forward by the President of the Uruguayan Football Association, Ignacio Alonso, even though the 2026 World Cup, to be held in the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will already expand the number of teams from 32 to 48. FIFA, in turn, referred to the proposal as «spontaneous» and confirmed that it would analyze it, but did not reveal the stance of its President, Gianni Infantino, on the matter. The 2030 World Cup will be jointly hosted by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, with three celebratory matches marking the centenary of the World Cup to be held in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. Čeferin emphasized that expanding the tournament is not in the best interest of the World Cup or its qualifying rounds, stating, «I think this is not good for the tournament itself, nor is it suitable for our qualification system», and pointed out that each continental federation is responsible for organizing its qualifiers.
