European football’s domestic leagues have strongly rejected Gianni Infantino’s proposal to expand the World Cup to 64 teams, escalating an increasingly public dispute between FIFA and football’s institutions across the continent.
The European Leagues (EUFL) said FIFA “should no longer be allowed to take unilateral decisions of this scale” in an official statement issued on Wednesday and reported by RMC.
The organisation argued that decisions of this nature conflict with the interests of leagues, clubs, players and supporters. Those groups, it said, are the foundation of the value generated by international competitions and would be among the parties most affected by any major change to the World Cup.
The proposal to increase the tournament from its planned 48-team format to 64 nations was described by the European Leagues as part of the same approach FIFA used in its plan to establish a commercial company to manage the marketing and operating rights for its competitions.
That project was recently abandoned after facing widespread opposition.
According to the European Leagues, FIFA gave interested parties no more than four weeks to consider the commercial company proposal. The organisation said there had been no meaningful consultation with leagues, clubs or players, despite their direct involvement in, and exposure to, the consequences of such decisions.
The group has now warned that it could take further action. It said its members may boycott any new FIFA competitions or future expansions of existing tournaments unless the governing body introduces fundamental reforms, particularly in governance and decision-making.
The latest statement adds to the pressure on Infantino, who has faced growing criticism from several sections of the global game following the failure of his attempt to sell private investors a stake in FIFA’s commercial rights.
Two years ago, the European Leagues submitted a complaint to the European Commission. It accused FIFA of a conflict of interest because the organisation acts both as the regulator of its competitions and as the commercial operator responsible for exploiting their rights.
The dispute has also drawn criticism from former Portugal international Luis Figo. In a message posted on X, Figo called for Infantino to resign and described his conduct as “low”, “deceitful” and “cowardly”.
The latest disagreement comes after FIFA decided to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams. That increase was approved despite concerns over the impact on the international calendar, while the new proposal for a 64-team tournament appears to be facing even stronger resistance from European football’s domestic leagues.
A separate report has also claimed that Infantino offered Morocco the chance to host a World Cup final in exchange for a particular service, adding to the speculation surrounding his efforts to build support for his plans.
Infantino is seeking to strengthen his position ahead of the FIFA presidential election scheduled for 2027. The opposition from the European Leagues represents another significant challenge as the debate over the size, structure and governance of international competitions intensifies.
