Kylian Mbappé’s tournament may be over, but the World Cup he leaves behind is only getting louder. As the final week of the first 48-team, tri-nation World Cup gets under way across the United States, Canada and Mexico, four sides remain: France, Spain, England and Argentina. Two semi-finals, one weekend, and a trophy that has not sat in any of these four cabinets since Argentina lifted it in 2022. And amid the buildup, Gianni Infantino has thrown another log on the fire — the FIFA president used a media appearance in New York to float the idea of a 64-team World Cup for 2030, a proposal that would reshape the sport’s showpiece for a second time in a single decade.
The last four standing
The bracket could hardly have delivered a heavier final week. Spain arrive as the tournament’s most convincing side, unbeaten and scoring freely, with Lamine Yamal — still a teenager — the breakout name of the summer. France, chastened by Mbappé’s hamstring injury in the quarter-final, have leaned on Ousmane Dembélé and a defence that has conceded just three goals in six matches. England, under Thomas Tuchel, have reached the semi-finals playing a brand of football their manager still refuses to praise, grinding out results behind Jude Bellingham’s drive and Jordan Pickford’s record-setting run of clean sheets. Argentina, the holders, remain the sentimental pick, with Lionel Messi chasing a farewell that would eclipse even Qatar.
The Guardian’s power rankings this week placed France and Spain at the summit, with England and Argentina jostling behind them — a reflection not of pedigree but of current form. It is the kind of last-four line-up that tournaments dream of: four former champions, four distinct footballing cultures, and no obvious favourite. On paper, any of them could win it. That is rare, and it is precisely what has made the buildup so charged.
Infantino’s 64-team gambit
Into this, Infantino has dropped his expansion hint. The 2026 edition already stretches the format to 48 teams and 104 matches — a jump many inside the game are still digesting. A move to 64 for the 2030 centenary tournament, co-hosted across Spain, Portugal, Morocco and three South American nations, would push the total past 120 games and swell the field to nearly a third of FIFA’s membership.
The reaction has been swift and largely hostile. UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin has previously called the idea “a bad one,” and European and South American confederation figures have warned about player welfare, fixture congestion and diluted quality. Supporters of the plan argue it spreads the game’s wealth and opens the door to nations that may never otherwise qualify. The timing of Infantino’s comments — mid-tournament, with the football itself providing the strongest possible argument for keeping things tight — has not gone unnoticed. Whatever the merit, the 2026 expansion has become the test case. If 48 teams are judged a success, 64 becomes harder to resist.
What the final week means
For the four survivors, the stakes are generational. A France win would confirm a dynasty, a third star in eight years. For Spain, victory would cap a rebuild that began after their 2022 disappointment and announce Yamal as the face of the next decade. England, meanwhile, carry the weight of 60 years without a World Cup — a foreign manager, a demanding culture and a squad that keeps winning despite its coach’s public dissatisfaction. And Argentina, with Messi, chase the fairytale ending sport rarely grants twice.
There is a broader story here too. This tournament was billed as an experiment — bigger, more commercial, spread across a continent. Its final week will shape how that experiment is remembered, and by extension how seriously Infantino’s next proposal is taken. Great semi-finals silence critics; forgettable ones embolden them. The football, as ever, will have the final word.
The matches come first. The debates about what the World Cup should become can wait until a champion is crowned. But for now, the buildup carries two questions at once: who wins in 2026, and how much bigger this competition can possibly get before it stops feeling like the tournament the world fell for in the first place.
Sports journalist and editor at SportsPortal.net. Covers cricket, football, Formula 1, tennis, and basketball with a focus on how global sports connect with Pakistani audiences. Follows the PSL, Pakistan national cricket team, Premier League, and major international tournaments. Has reported on sports for digital audiences since 2021.
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