An unprecedented Soccer World Cup will be presented in Europe and Africa in 2030, and with the unexpected addition of South America as part of a celebration commemorating a centenary in Uruguay.
FIFA reached an agreement between continental soccer leaders on Wednesday to accept only one bid to host the 2030 World Cup, the sport’s governing body announced.
The candidacy of Spain and Portugal was extended to Morocco this year and now includes Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, who had also expressed interest in organizing the competition.
One of the main attractions of this unprecedented project between three continents is the possibility of opening the competition in Montevideo, the Uruguayan capital, where the Centenario stadium hosted the inaugural final of the 1930 World Cup.
“The centenary of the World Cup could not be far from South America, where it all began,” explained Alejandro Dominguez, president of CONMEBOL, the South American football body. “The 2030 World Cup will be played on three continents. »
The consensus reached by formerly rival soccer continents also allowed FIFA to fast-track the opening of the 2034 World Cup bidding, limited to member federations in Asia and Oceania .
Saudi Arabia is targeting the 2034 edition and Australia is also interested after successfully hosting this year’s Women’s World Cup with New Zealand. Regardless, the 2034 tournament will most likely take place in November and December, like the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
Accelerating the choice of host country from 2034 to the end of next year will be widely seen as a victory for Saudi Arabia and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who has forged close ties with the FIFA president, Gianni Infantino.
“We want to celebrate our football culture and share our country with the world,” said Yasser Al Misehal, the president of the Saudi Football Federation and a member of the FIFA Council, in a government statement announcing its intention to file its candidacy.
The FIFA Council’s acceptance of a unified bid for 2030 must still be formally approved next year at a meeting of the 211 member federations. It should just be a formality.
“By 2030, we will have a single 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 sport (soccer), the centenary and the FIFA World Cup,” Infantino said in a statement.
The tournament which will feature 48 teams and 104 matches, scheduled for June and July 2030, will begin with matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, before moving to host countries Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
This plan, which involves an unprecedented number of trips linked to the distances and time zones covered, was not appreciated by Football Supporters Europe (FSE), the group of supporters officially recognized by UEFA, the European body of the soccer.
“FIFA continues its cycle of destroying the biggest tournament in the world,” FSE said in a statement. “Horrible for fans, contemptuous of the environment and rolling out the red carpet to a 2034 host with an appalling human rights record. »
The first 48-team Men’s World Cup will be hosted in 2026 by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The 2030 decision marks a victory for Morocco, which has invested heavily in infrastructure in its largest cities and was chosen last week to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
The men’s national team helped advance their case by reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup in Qatar, after eliminating Spain and Portugal in the previous rounds.
In a statement released Wednesday, the office of Moroccan King Mohammed VI said the selection “recognized the prominent place Morocco occupies in the ranks of great nations.”