Fifa is considering expanding the World Cup to 64 teams to mark the 100th anniversary of the tournament in 2030.
Next summer's World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico will be the first 48-team event – up from 32 – but football's governing body is giving serious thought to an even bigger spectacle in 2030.
That tournament will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain, with special centenary matches being staged in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.
No decision has yet been made, and if the 64-team plan is approved, the World Cup would then be expected to return to 48 teams in 2034 in Saudi Arabia.
Naturally, an increase in numbers would offer a greater chance for smaller footballing nations to participate – including the UAE.
The national team are still firmly in the mix for 2026 qualification, with them facing a pair of crunch ties in Doha next month.
Cosmin Olaroiu's side are in a three-man group alongside Qatar and Oman knowing that two wins will guarantee a place at next year's tournament.
Given their history of close shaves in attempting to reach a first World Cup since 1990, an increase to 64 teams would be extremely positive for their chances in the next cycle.
The news leaked after Fifa leaders met with the heads of state from Uruguay and Paraguay in New York, as well as leaders from South America's Conmebol and the head of Argentina's football association to discuss the idea.
“We want to call for unity, creativity, and believing big,” Conmebol president Alejandro Dominguez said in a social media post. “Because when football is shared by everyone, the celebration is truly global.”
The Uruguay Football Association first presented the 64-team plan in March, according to the New York Times. The first World Cup took place in Uruguay in 1930.
The idea has, however, been met with a mixed reaction. Among the primary concerns is that an expanded World Cup would require 128 matches, further straining the sport's busy global calendar.
The first 48-team World Cup will take place primarily in the United States in 2026, with Mexico and Canada playing host to select games. The last time the tournament was in the United States was in 1994 when it was a 24-team gathering.
The field expanded to 32 teams in 1998 and has remained that way through the past seven tournaments, including the 2022 World Cup in Qatar that was won by Argentina.
The 2030 World Cup not only could have the most number of teams and matches ever, but is also set to be played on three continents and in six different countries.
Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina each will play host to one game at the start of the tournament. The majority of 2030 games will then be split among Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
“As we get closer to the date, we must reiterate that this cannot be just another event, it cannot be just another World Cup,” Dominguez added. “We believe this is a once-in-a-century opportunity.”
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
UK’s AI plan
- AI ambassadors such as MIT economist Simon Johnson, Monzo cofounder Tom Blomfield and Google DeepMind’s Raia Hadsell
- £10bn AI growth zone in South Wales to create 5,000 jobs
- £100m of government support for startups building AI hardware products
- £250m to train new AI models
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Who has lived at The Bishops Avenue?
- George Sainsbury of the supermarket dynasty, sugar magnate William Park Lyle and actress Dame Gracie Fields were residents in the 1930s when the street was only known as ‘Millionaires’ Row’.
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Hunting park to luxury living
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If you go...
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Bio Box
Role Model: Sheikh Zayed, God bless his soul
Favorite book: Zayed Biography of the leader
Favorite quote: To be or not to be, that is the question, from William Shakespeare's Hamlet
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Lexus LX700h specs
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ACL Elite (West) - fixtures
Monday, Sept 30
Al Sadd v Esteghlal (8pm)
Persepolis v Pakhtakor (8pm)
Al Wasl v Al Ahli (8pm)
Al Nassr v Al Rayyan (10pm)
Tuesday, Oct 1
Al Hilal v Al Shorta (10pm)
Al Gharafa v Al Ain (10pm)
Desert Warrior
Starring: Anthony Mackie, Aiysha Hart, Ben Kingsley
Director: Rupert Wyatt
Rating: 3/5
RESULTS
Men – semi-finals
57kg – Tak Chuen Suen (MAC) beat Phuong Xuan Nguyen (VIE) 29-28; Almaz Sarsembekov (KAZ) beat Zakaria Eljamari (UAE) by points 30-27.
67kg – Mohammed Mardi (UAE) beat Huong The Nguyen (VIE) by points 30-27; Narin Wonglakhon (THA) v Mojtaba Taravati Aram (IRI) by points 29-28.
60kg – Yerkanat Ospan (KAZ) beat Amir Hosein Kaviani (IRI) 30-27; Long Doan Nguyen (VIE) beat Ibrahim Bilal (UAE) 29-28
63.5kg – Abil Galiyev (KAZ) beat Truong Cao Phat (VIE) 30-27; Nouredine Samir (UAE) beat Norapat Khundam (THA) RSC round 3.
71kg – Shaker Al Tekreeti (IRQ) beat Fawzi Baltagi (LBN) 30-27; Amine El Moatassime (UAE) beat Man Kongsib (THA) 29-28
81kg – Ilyass Hbibali (UAE) beat Alexandr Tsarikov (KAZ) 29-28; Khaled Tarraf (LBN) beat Mustafa Al Tekreeti (IRQ) 30-27
86kg – Ali Takaloo (IRI) beat Mohammed Al Qahtani (KSA) RSC round 1; Emil Umayev (KAZ) beat Ahmad Bahman (UAE) TKO round
De De Pyaar De
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
The results of the first round are as follows:
Qais Saied (Independent): 18.4 per cent
Nabil Karoui (Qalb Tounes): 15.58 per cent
Abdelfattah Mourou (Ennahdha party): 12.88 per cent
Abdelkarim Zbidi (two-time defence minister backed by Nidaa Tounes party): 10.7 per cent
Youssef Chahed (former prime minister, leader of Long Live Tunisia): 7.3 per cent
Uefa Nations League
League A:
Germany, Portugal, Belgium, Spain, France, England, Switzerland, Italy, Poland, Iceland, Croatia, Netherlands
League B:
Austria, Wales, Russia, Slovakia, Sweden, Ukraine, Republic of Ireland, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Northern Ireland, Denmark, Czech Republic, Turkey
League C:
Hungary, Romania, Scotland, Slovenia, Greece, Serbia, Albania, Norway, Montenegro, Israel, Bulgaria, Finland, Cyprus, Estonia, Lithuania
League D:
Azerbaijan, Macedonia, Belarus, Georgia, Armenia, Latvia, Faroe Islands, Luxembourg, Kazakhstan, Moldova, Liechtenstein, Malta, Andorra, Kosovo, San Marino, Gibraltar
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- Bagpat, India
The biog
Name: Dhabia Khalifa AlQubaisi
Age: 23
How she spends spare time: Playing with cats at the clinic and feeding them
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About Takalam
Date started: early 2020
Founders: Khawla Hammad and Inas Abu Shashieh
Based: Abu Dhabi
Sector: HealthTech and wellness
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New UK refugee system
- A new “core protection” for refugees moving from permanent to a more basic, temporary protection
- Shortened leave to remain - refugees will receive 30 months instead of five years
- A longer path to settlement with no indefinite settled status until a refugee has spent 20 years in Britain
- To encourage refugees to integrate the government will encourage them to out of the core protection route wherever possible.
- Under core protection there will be no automatic right to family reunion
- Refugees will have a reduced right to public funds
