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If fans thought a 48-team field for the next FIFA World Cup was large enough, they'd better think again.
The sport's governing body confirmed it will review a proposal to expand the 2030 World Cup to a whopping 64 teams to mark the centenary of football's showpiece tournament.
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The 2030 World Cup will be jointly held by Morocco, Spain and Portugal while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will host three games given the inaugural tournament was staged across those nations in 1930.
"A proposal to analyse a 64-team FIFA World Cup to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup in 2030 was spontaneously raised by a FIFA Council member in the 'miscellaneous' agenda item near the end of the FIFA Council meeting held on March 5, 2025," a FIFA spokesperson said in a statement.
"The idea was acknowledged as FIFA has a duty to analyse any proposal from one of its Council members."
A report from the New York Times claims Ignacio Alonso, a delegate from Uruguay, was the individual behind the shock proposal.
It adds Alonso's proposal was met with stunned silence from those in the meeting, which was held via video.
However, the report claims FIFA president Gianni Infantino said Alonso's idea should be assessed more closely.
If Alonso's proposal come to fruition, it would mark the second time the World Cup has been expanded during Infantino's presidency.
The 2026 World Cup, which will be shared between the United States, Canada and Mexico, marks the first time the tournament will be played by 48 nations.
It is a marked increase from 32 teams, with a staggering 104 games due to be played next year.
Infantino has also overseen the expansion of the FIFA Club World Cup.
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The tournament, which previously featured seven teams, has now grown to 32 with Chelsea, Manchester City and Lionel Messi's Inter Miami all set to compete from June 14 to July 13.
But there will be plenty more on offer for the competing teams other than the honour of being the best team in the world.
An eye-watering $1billion (£777m) prize pot is set to be announced by FIFA, with a solidarity payment to be distributed among teams not competing in the event.
It is expected the 12 European teams will receive a larger slice of the total purse while FIFA stands to not retain any revenue generated from the new-look tournament.
News of the 64-team proposal also arrived just one day after FIFA announced it would collaborate with British band Coldplay on curating a half-time show for the 2026 World Cup final, which will be played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.
"This will be a historic moment for the FIFA World Cup and a show befitting the biggest sporting event in the world," Infantino said on Wednesday.
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Infantino also revealed there would be a 'Times Square takeover' for the final weekend of the tournament.
Unsurprisingly, football fans vented their fury on social media in response to the announcement of a half-time show.
A more vitriolic tone may be taken by the wider footballing community should the 64-team proposal get the green light.
