The 2030 World Cup will be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco with three opening games to be played in South America, FIFA announced Wednesday.
The three openers — one each in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay — will be played to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first men’s World Cup in 1930 in Uruguay.
“The centennial World Cup could not be far from South America, where everything began,” said Alejandro Dominguez, president of CONMEBOL, the South American soccer federation.
The bidding process for the 2030 World Cup was expected to be a battle between the Spain-Portugal-Morocco group and the South American bid. However, the continental leaders struck a deal Wednesday to open the tournament in South America before moving to Europe and Africa.
Chile was mentioned as part of the South American bid when it was first launched in 2018 but does not feature in the 2030 plan. Similarly, Ukraine joined the European bid last year but was dropped.
“In 2030, we will have a unique global footprint…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 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the U.S., Canada and Mexico. It will also be the first 48-team World Cup and the second time the tournament is hosted by multiple countries. The 2002 World Cup was held in South Korea and Japan.
FIFA will now open bidding for the 2034 World Cup, which is limited to countries in Asia and Oceania. Saudi Arabia and Australia are both expected to launch host bids.
With News Wire Services
