Plans for a 64-team men’s World Cup are set to be assessed after the 2026 tournament, with Fifa boss Gianni Infantino saying the event needs to be “for the whole world”.

The proposal for an expanded tournament was put forward last year, and Infantino says the success of the expanded 48-team tournament means Fifa should look at how a 64-team World Cup could work.

“These are all issues that we will be examining after the World Cup,” Infantino told Swiss broadcaster Blue Sport, external when asked if the tournament could grow to 64 teams.

“When organising a World Cup, it’s important to organise it for the whole world – not just Europe and South America, but effectively the entire world. Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup.

“You can see that the quality of the teams is extremely high, and it’s getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”

Infantino said that the first 48-team World Cup has been “a huge success”, citing the progression of nine out of 10 African teams to the knockout stages.

“At the last World Cup, there were only five teams from Africa,” he said. “That just goes to show how important it is to include all teams – to give them this opportunity to participate.”

The Fifa council approved the expansion of the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams in 2017.

An official proposal to boost the 2030 World Cup to 64 teams was put forward by South American governing body Conmebol in April 2025, but no decision has been reached.

The 2030 edition will be mainly co-hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with the three opening matches to be hosted by Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to celebrate the centenary of the competition. Uruguay hosted the first World Cup, in 1930.

Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin is among those to have dismissed the 64-team proposal, with the Slovenian saying it is a “bad idea” for both the tournament itself and the qualifying process.

Asian Football Confederation (AFC) president Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al Khalifa agreed, saying further expansion would bring “chaos”.

Victor Montagliani, president of the governing body for football in North and Central America and the Caribbean (Concacaf), said the suggestion “doesn’t feel right” and he believes the expansion would damage “the broader football ecosystem”.

However, Andrew Giuliani, executive director of the White House’s World Cup task force, said the United States could consider making a bid to host the 2038 World Cup and would be able to “handle it” if expanded to 64 teams.

Fifa’s official position has always been it will discuss expansion ideas with stakeholders and it is duty bound to consider any proposals from council members.

The Fifa council would make the ultimate decision, but there are no signs it is something expected to happen imminently.

Chelsea are prepared to sell their Argentine star and they have set a price tag.

Chelsea have placed a €50 million valuation on Alejandro Garnacho, with the Argentina international winger linked with a departure from Stamford Bridge ahead of the 2026/27 Premier League campaign.

According to Fabrizio Romano, the West London club have established a dual-pricing structure for the 22-year-old. If a Premier League rival expresses interest, Chelsea will demand a £45 million fee. However, the club are willing to accept a slightly lower figure of around €50 million (£42.6 million) from foreign clubs.

Garnacho is not in the plans of newly appointed manager Xabi Alonso. The winger failed to report for the first day of pre-season training, staying away to actively explore an exit strategy alongside his representatives.

The impending transfer concludes a 12-month tenure in West London. Garnacho originally joined Chelsea from Manchester United in the summer of 2025 for a reported €46.2 million (£39.4 million) fee. He signed a long-term contract tying him to the club until June 30, 2032.

Despite the financial investment, he never established himself in the starting lineup. During the 2025/26 season, he registered eight goals and four assists across 43 appearances in all competitions. His domestic output was poor, starting just 14 Premier League matches and three in the UEFA Champions League and scoring only one league goal throughout the campaign

There are very few things Lionel Messi has not done on a football pitch.

But the semi-final meeting between Argentina and England on Wednesday in Atlanta will provide the eight-time Ballon d’Or winner with an altogether new experience.

Despite making more than 200 appearances and scoring 125 goals for Argentina, Messi has never faced the Three Lions on the international stage.

It looked for a spell that the 39-year-old may be denied his first meeting with Thomas Tuchel’s side when Switzerland appeared to be holding the momentum in Saturday’s quarter-final tie – but Argentina eventually ran out 3-1 winners in extra time.

Messi failed to score for the first time this tournament in that victory, though he still leads the Golden Boot race alongside France’s Kylian Mbappe having scored eight times, and is the World Cup’s all-time leading goalscorer.