FIFA hints at expanding World Cup to 64 teams, and crypto markets are already warming up

FIFA President Gianni Infantino dropped a big hint on July 12: the organization’s committees will consider expanding the men’s World Cup from its current 48-team format to 64 teams in time for the 2030 tournament. The reasoning is straightforward. More slots mean more countries get a seat at the table, particularly smaller nations that have historically watched from the sidelines.

What the expansion actually looks like

The 2026 World Cup, hosted across the US, Canada, and Mexico, already marked a significant leap. It was the first tournament to feature 48 teams, up from the 32-team format that had been standard since 1998. Now, barely into that tournament, Infantino is already floating the idea of going even bigger.

A 64-team World Cup would allow roughly 30% of FIFA’s 211 member associations to qualify.

The 2030 edition is set to be hosted primarily by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with additional centenary matches planned in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay. The proposal builds on discussions from a March 2025 FIFA Council meeting. Infantino’s public comments appear designed to gauge reaction and build momentum for a formal decision.

The crypto angle is bigger than you think

Kraken signed on as the Official Crypto Exchange Supporter for the 2026 World Cup back on June 9, 2026. Chiliz, the platform behind most major sports fan tokens, has shown event-driven trading volumes and notable price movements during the 2026 World Cup. When a national team plays a big match, people buy and sell that team’s token.

The regions most likely to benefit from additional World Cup slots, Africa and Asia, also happen to be among the most crypto-savvy demographics globally.

FIFA Collect, the organization’s NFT platform built on Avalanche, has recorded over $25 million in sales activity.

What this means for investors

For anyone holding or watching CHZ, the native token of the Chiliz ecosystem, a 64-team World Cup is essentially a market expansion event. More qualifying nations means more potential fan token launches. Trading volumes on fan token platforms have spiked around match days, with price volatility tracking closely to on-field results.

The risk, of course, is execution. Fan tokens have historically been criticized as speculative instruments with limited utility beyond voting on minor club decisions. There’s also the question of whether FIFA’s blockchain ambitions will remain on Avalanche or migrate to another chain, and a multi-billion-dollar organization switching infrastructure partners could create significant market disruption for tokens and projects built on the current stack.

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