Bhaichung Bhutia believes in expansion FIFA World Cup The 64 teams could improve India’s chances of qualifying for the tournament, but he warned that the move could bring benefits to the tournament as a whole.FIFA is considering increasing the number of teams in the 2030 World Cup from 48, which is in the 2026 edition, to 64. The goal was given by the South American football association CONMEBOL in April last year.No decision has been taken, but FIFA president Gianni Infantino recently said that the governing body will review the plan after the World Cup, which is being held in the United States, Canada and Mexico. Defending champions Argentina will face Spain in Sunday’s final in New York.The 2030 World Cup will feature Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while the opening three matches will be played in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to mark the game’s centenary. Uruguay participated in the first FIFA World Cup in 1930.Speaking to news agency PTI, former Indian captain Bhaichung Bhutia said that the World Cup is big in nature and will give countries like India an opportunity to reach the highest level of football.“From an Indian football fan’s point of view, I think it is acceptable to have more teams. I am not saying that India will qualify but India will have a good chance if they increase to 64 from 48,” Bhutia said.At the same time, he also emphasized that the extra tournament alone cannot solve the problems of Indian football.“But this does not mean that this country does not need to do any work. We still need to improve our system, our system, the development of the underground and produce more players, bring more children to football.”Bhutia said that India should first develop a strong football strategy and follow the example of countries that have continuously developed talent through youth football.“India should focus on qualifying for the U-17, U-20 World Cups, they are a big team, so we have a chance like Uzbekistan and Morocco are doing. They (Uzbekistan, Morocco) are always qualifying for the U-17 and U-20 World Cups even though they are small countries.”While Bhutia acknowledged the benefits that countries vying for qualification can reap, he also believes that the tournament itself could lose its competitive edge if the number of teams increases.“But yes, in terms of football fans around the world and the importance and the excitement of the World Cup, the quality of football, I think, can be reduced if you have 64 teams playing in the World Cup,” the former India captain said.
