“All 10 In”: Conmebol’s World Cup Dream Dashed by FIFA Reality

The dream of “all 10 in”—the unofficial mantra behind Conmebol’s push for a 64-team World Cup—has been dashed by the stark reality of FIFA politics. Following a formal proposal to FIFA President Gianni Infantino, the governing body has made it clear that the ambitious expansion plan for the 2030 tournament is not being considered.
The proposal was the centerpiece of a meeting in New York between Infantino and a delegation of South American football leaders. A 64-team format would create so many additional qualification slots that it would be highly likely that all ten Conmebol member nations would make it to the finals, a massive achievement for the confederation.
However, the idea has been met with a powerful and unified resistance within FIFA. An insider revealed that the plan is a non-starter and would be voted down by the FIFA Council. The overwhelming consensus is that such an expansion would sacrifice the tournament’s elite quality for the sake of inclusivity, a trade-off that most stakeholders are unwilling to make.
This sentiment is shared by the leaders of other major confederations. UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin has publicly dismissed the idea as “bad,” while Concacaf President Victor Montagliani has also voiced his opposition. Their stance highlights the deep divisions over the future direction of the World Cup.
With the 48-team format already set for 2026, FIFA is focused on managing that significant change. The dream of all ten Conmebol nations participating in a single World Cup will have to remain just that—a dream—as the global body prioritizes what it sees as the long-term health of its flagship event.