FIFA, the world’s football governing body, announced that for the first time ever, a FIFA World Cup tournament will be hosted across three continents and six countries.
The body, after a council meeting held on Wednesday, 5th October 2023, announced that the FIFA 2030 World Cup will be a monumental event, transcending borders and marking a historic celebration of football’s centenary.
The tournament is set be hosted by Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, but the opening three matches of the tournament will be played in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay.
“The FIFA Council agreed unanimously that the only bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be the joint bid of Morocco, Portugal and Spain,” announced FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
According to FIFA, the opening three matches will be played in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the World Cup.
Uruguay and Argentina are the very nations that participated in the inaugural tournament in 1930, both teams reaching the final Uruguay.
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Moreover, the headquarters of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) are based in Luque, Paraguay. CONMEBOL was the only confederation in existence at the time of the 1930 tournament.
FIFA embraces history
FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that the opening game of the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be held at the iconic Estadio Centenario in Uruguay, a stadium purpose-built for the 1930 World Cup and steeped in football history.
“Two continents – Africa and Europe – united not only in a celebration of football but also in providing unique social and cultural cohesion. What a great message of peace, tolerance, and inclusion,” he added.
This groundbreaking decision means that all six host countries will automatically qualify for the tournament, ensuring their presence in a competition that promises to be extraordinary.
Following the first three matches, the action will shift to Morocco, Spain, and Portugal, where the opening ceremony and the rest of the tournament will unfold.
Historic Tournament
Morocco is set to make history by hosting the World Cup for the first time, becoming the first North African nation to do so, and the second African nation after South Africa hosted the FIFA World Cup 2010 tournament.
This achievement follows five previous unsuccessful bids, highlighting Morocco’s determination to become a World Cup host.
Portugal will also make its debut as a World Cup host, having previously made unsuccessful bids.
The FIFA World Cup 2030 will be unique in its global footprint, uniting three continents – Africa, Europe, and South America – and bringing together six diverse nations: Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, and Uruguay.
The FIFA World Cup 2026 tournament set to be held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States is the only other edition to have more than two host nations.
The tournament will also be the first to feature a new 48-team format after the body approved an increase from the normal 32 teams.
CONMEBOL President speaks
Alejandro Dominguez, CONMEBOL president, expressed his delight for the historic event, highlighting that the joint hosting minimized additional investment demands.
“The good thing is that in having three countries, three hosts, we’re talking about almost no other investment more than what already exists,” he said.
In addition to this groundbreaking announcement, FIFA has opened the door for bids to host the 2034 tournament, inviting member associations from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) to participate.
Saudi Arabia has since confirmed its intention to bid hosting the 2034 men’s World Cup, as announced by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF)
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This rotation policy ensures that football’s highest governing body continues to embrace diverse regions of the world in its quest to showcase the beautiful game.
In addition, the body announced that football fans can also look forward to the inaugural FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup in 2025, featuring 16 participating teams, and an expanded U-20 Women’s World Cup in Colombia in 2024, with 24 teams competing.
