Majority Of South American Federations Oppose 64-team World Cup Proposal

The projected description of nan 2030 World Cup to 64 teams is facing guidance from wrong Conmebol, nan South American confederation that would use from staging nan other matches.

The Guardian has learned that 7 retired of nan 10 Conmebol members person expressed concerns astir nan description plan, which is being driven by nan federations of Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina.

Those 3 countries person been fixed 1 lucifer each by Fifa astatine nan centenary World Cup, which is now scheduled to characteristic 48 teams, successful nickname of nan tournament’s South American roots earlier nan remainder of nan title takes spot successful Spain, Portugal and Morocco. The first version of nan World Cup successful 1930 was hosted successful and won by Uruguay.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino met representatives from Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina astatine Trump Tower successful New York past period for nan first general discussions astir a connection that was first raised informally by nan Uruguayan Football Association astatine a Fifa Council gathering past March.

The delegation successful New York was led by Conmbol president, Paraguayan Alejandro Dominguez, and besides featured nan Paraguay and Uruguay heads of state, arsenic good arsenic nan presidents of their federations and Argentina’s.

Multiple sources person told nan Guardian however, that they person yet to summation nan support of nan different Conmebol members, who are concerned astir nan effect of World Cup description connected their qualifying competition, nan main root of gross for galore of nan nationalist associations.

South American World Cup qualifying is presently an 18-game round-robin single-table competition, pinch each 10 countries playing each different location and away. The apical six suffice automatically, pinch nan seventh squad entering inter-confederation play-offs featuring six teams from each complete nan world.

Such is nan spot successful extent successful South America that Brazil vanished 5th successful nan title that concluded past month, while regular World Cup attendees Chile vanished bottom, reflecting a competitiveness that gives nan qualifiers existent worth successful position of TV authorities and sponsorship deals. Expanding nan World Cup to 64 teams would consequence successful 8 aliases 9 South American sides being fixed places, raising concerns astir nan early of nan qualifying competition.

There is besides understood to beryllium a beardown belief among nan different Conmebol members that Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina are pursuing description for their ain ends and would beryllium nan sole beneficiaries. During past month’s gathering successful New York they projected staging nan full group shape of nan 2030 World Cup, alternatively than awarding further games to different countries successful South America.

Fifa’s position is that they will talk World Cup description pinch each stakeholders and are work bound to see proposals from their members, but nan thought has already triggered a important backlash. Uefa president, Aleksander Čeferin, has described it arsenic a “bad idea” that would trim nan value of nan tourney and Concacaf president, Victor Montagliani, has said “it conscionable doesn’t consciousness right.”

The World Cup has grown importantly successful caller decades, expanding from 16 to 24 teams successful 1982, increasing again to 32 successful 1998 earlier becoming a 48-team title adjacent summer. A 64-team World Cup would characteristic 128 matches, double nan number played astatine nan astir caller tourney successful Qatar 3 years agone and 24 much than adjacent year’s World Cup successful nan United States, Mexico and Canada, which will beryllium nan first clip it has been staged crossed 3 countries.

Any determination to grow nan World Cup would beryllium taken by Fifa’s Council, but it was not discussed astatine their astir caller gathering successful Zurich connected 2 October.