FIFA 2030 World Cup: Morocco, Spain, Portugal Secure Joint Hosting Rights

The Fédération Internationale de Football Association (FIFA), in a statement released on Wednesday, announced the 2030 World Cup will be co-hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, with matches also taking place in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.

According to The Athletic, the world’s football governing body stated it awarded the opening games to the South American nations as part of its plan for the tournament’s 100th anniversary.

The FIFA World Cup, which began in 1930, was first hosted by Uruguay, who would go on to win the competition, beating Argentina 4-2 in the final.

“Uruguay hosted and won the inaugural World Cup in 1930, and Argentina were the beaten finalists, while the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) headquarters are based in Paraguay. CONMEBOL was the only confederation in existence at the time of the 1930 tournament,” The Athletic said.

The tournament, for the first time, will be held across multiple continents: Europe, Africa, and South America.

Morocco will host the tournament for the first time and become the second African country to host the Mundial after South Africa hosted the 2010 edition. Similarly, Portugal will also be a first-time host.

Reacting to the announcement, CONMEBOL president, Alejandro Dominguez, in a post on X, lauded FIFA for awarding opening games to the association.

His words: “We believed in Big. The 2030 Centennial World Cup begins where it all began. Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will host the opening matches of #MundialCentenario”