FIFA has officially announced that the 2030 World Cup will be held in six countries. This makes it the first tournament to take place on three continents at once in one World Cup event.
The announcement of the host of the 2030 World Cup was delivered directly by FIFA President Gianni Infantino at the FIFA Extraordinary Congress which was held virtually on Wednesday (11/12/2024) night and attended by 211 FIFA members.
Morocco, Portugal, and Spain were appointed as the main hosts of the 2030 World Cup. Meanwhile, Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay will hold the opening three matches as part of the celebration of the 100th anniversary of the World Cup.
The selection of Uruguay as one of the hosts has historical significance because the country hosted the first World Cup in 1930, where they managed to become champions after defeating Argentina with a score of 4-2 in the final.
Previously, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay also participated in the bidding to host the 2030 World Cup. However, the three countries lost the evaluation score to the bidding of Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
“There is no better way to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the World Cup in 2030 than by holding it in six countries on three continents, with 48 teams and 104 incredible matches,” Infantino said as reported by Reuters.
“We are bringing football to more countries and the number of teams does not reduce the quality. It actually increases the opportunities,” Infantino added.
This decision marks a new history because Portugal, Paraguay and Morocco will host the World Cup for the first time, while Argentina and Spain have previously hosted the tournament.
All countries involved as hosts are guaranteed to qualify automatically for the 2030 World Cup finals. Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will each host the opening three matches.
Infantino called this decision an extraordinary agreement in the midst of a divided world.
“In today’s divided world, where it seems like no one can agree on anything anymore, to be able to agree something like this is certainly extraordinary,” he said, reported from the official FIFA website.
The 2030 World Cup format will feature 48 teams competing in 104 matches. The selection of the hosts concludes a bidding process that began in October 2023 and was supported by all confederations with the aim of providing alignment and rotation between confederations.
Image source: Bavarian Football Works
