Former Germany coach Joachim Löw has criticized the proposal to extend the World Cup to 64 teams in 2030. "I think that's completely over the top," the 2014 World Cup champion told Nitro on the sidelines of the Europa League match between Freiburg and Basel on Wednesday evening.
Former Germany coach Joachim Löw has criticized the proposal to extend the World Cup to 64 teams in 2030.
"I think that's completely over the top," the 2014 World Cup champion told Nitro on the sidelines of the Europa League match between Freiburg and Basel on Wednesday evening.
"I view it very critically from a coach's perspective, because the health and quality of the players always come first."
FIFA president Gianni Infantino met with CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez and other South American officials in New York on Tuesday evening to discuss the expansion of the men's World Cup to 64 teams in 2030.
The proposal was first introduced in March by a delegate from Uruguay during an online meeting of the FIFA Council.
The La Nacion newspaper said that Infantino was the one who set up the meeting and that he supports the plan. There was already an expansion from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 World Cup in the United States, Mexico and Canada.
Löw fears a further decline in the quality of the game.
"Forty eight teams is already a loss of quality overall, without wanting to offend the smaller teams. But a World Cup or European Championship also thrives on high-class games. That's what people want to see," he said.
Category: General Sports
