This article explores liberal constraints on promoting world citizenship education. It argues that world citizenship education, aiming to cultivate virtues beyond national boundaries, faces serious challenges: the absence of a global polity, the risk of imposing comprehensive doctrines, and the problem of educational paternalism. Historically, citizenship education has negotiated the balance between individual freedom and state aims, as seen in von Humboldt’s critique of state interference. Rawls’ political liberalism emphasizes neutrality, while Nussbaum’s cosmopolitan vision—advocating a moral community of all humanity—conflicts with this principle by resembling a comprehensive doctrine. Without a global polity, world citizenship education lacks legitimacy and risks paternalism. The article proposes “world citizenship” as a more appropriate framework than “global citizenship,” as it highlights the world as an agent of education, though liberal constraints inevitably remain.