Spain, Portugal, Morocco and three South American nations to host unique 2030 FIFA World Cup
European and African nations — Spain, Portugal and Morocco — will host a unique 2030 World Cup in which three South American countries — Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay — will also get to take part in the proceedings.
The deal to add the South American countries will allow the men’s football tournament to start with a 100th birthday party in Uruguay.
FIFA, on Wednesday, reached an agreement to accept only one candidate for hosting the 2030 tournament.
The unprecedented three-continent project will see the opening match being held in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, where the Centenario Stadium hosted the inaugural 1930 World Cup final.
“The centennial World Cup could not be far from South America, where everything began. The 2030 World Cup will be played in three continents,” said, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez.
The consensus will also let FIFA fast-track the opening of the 2034 World Cup bidding, limiting it to the member federations from Asia and Oceania.
While Saudi Arabia has targeted the 2034 edition, Australia, who co-hosted this year’s Women’s World Cup with New Zealand, is also interested.
The FIFA Council’s acceptance of a unified 2030 candidacy still needs formal approval next year at a meeting of the 211 member federations. However, that should be just a formality.
“In 2030, we’ll have a unique global footprint, three continents — Africa, Europe and South America — six countries — Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay — welcoming and uniting the world while celebrating together the beautiful game, the centenary and the FIFA World Cup,” FIFA president Gianni Infantino said in a statement.
The 48-team, 104-game tournament scheduled for June-July 2030 is planned to start with games in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay before the action moves to the core host nations of Spain, Portugal and Morocco. It will involve an unprecedented amount of travel across distances and time zones.
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