The Association of European Football Leagues has sharpened its rhetoric towards FIFA president Gianni Infantino, rejecting outright any plan to expand the World Cup to 64 teams. It is the latest flashpoint in a growing dispute between European football institutions and FIFA.
The Association of European Football Leagues (EUFL) issued an official statement today, Wednesday, reported by the RMC network. In it, the body insisted that the international governing body "must no longer be allowed to take unilateral decisions of this magnitude". Such moves, they argued, conflict with the interests of the leagues, clubs, players and fans, who according to the statement form the fundamental pillar of the value of international tournaments.
For the association, the expansion proposal follows the same approach FIFA took with its plan to create a commercial company to manage the commercial and operational rights of its tournaments. That project was recently dropped after a wide wave of rejection.
FIFA also handed the parties concerned no more than four weeks to study the plan, the statement added, without conducting any genuine consultations with the leagues, clubs or players, despite these parties being the ones most affected by the decision.
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Escalation could follow. The Association of European Football Leagues confirmed it may boycott any new competitions or future expansions of FIFA tournaments if the international governing body fails to carry out substantial reforms, particularly to its governance system and decision-making mechanisms.
Pressure on Infantino keeps building. He faces growing criticism from several parties within world football after the collapse of his project to sell a share of the commercial rights of FIFA tournaments to private sector investors.
Two years ago, the Association of European Football Leagues submitted a complaint to the European Commission, accusing FIFA of a conflict of interest by combining the roles of regulatory body and commercial operator of the competitions.
Luis Figo has joined the list of critics too. The former Portuguese star called for Infantino's resignation, describing his behaviour as "vile", "deceitful" and "cowardly" in a message on the X platform.
FIFA had already voted to increase the number of teams at the 2026 World Cup to 48. The push to raise that figure to 64 appears to be meeting far stronger opposition, at a time when Infantino is seeking to strengthen his position ahead of the international governing body's presidential elections scheduled for 2027.