Associated Press4 minute read
The unique 2030 World Cup will be held in Europe and Africa, with South America surprisingly joining the agreement allowing the men’s soccer tournament to open with the 100th anniversary celebrations in Uruguay.
FIFA has reached an agreement among the continent’s leaders to accept only one candidate to host the 2030 tournament, the sport’s governing body announced on Wednesday.
– Stream on ESPN+: La Liga, Bundesliga and more (US)
Spain and Portugal’s bid was joined this year by Morocco, as well as long-time bidding rivals Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay. According to FIFA, all six national teams will automatically qualify for the 48-team tournament.
This is the first time the World Cup will be held on multiple continents.
The key attraction of the unprecedented Tricontinental Project will open in Uruguay’s capital Montevideo, home of the Centenario Stadium, which hosted the first World Cup final in 1930.
Alejandro Dominguez, president of South American football governing body CONMEBOL, said: “The 100th anniversary of the World Cup cannot be far away from where it all began in South America.” “The 2030 World Cup will be held on three continents.”
The agreement between the once-rival soccer continents also allows FIFA to fast-track a 2034 World Cup bid competition limited to member federations in Asia and Oceania.
Saudi Arabia quickly joined the contest, and Australia, which successfully co-hosted this year’s Women’s World Cup with New Zealand, is also interested. In any case, it is almost certain that the 2034 tournament will be held in November and December, just like last year’s Qatar World Cup.
Bringing forward the 2034 host decision 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 FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
“We want to celebrate our football culture and share our country with the world,” Yasser Al Misehar, president of the Saudi Football Federation and member of the FIFA Council, said in a government statement announcing the bid. Ta.
For the FIFA Council to accept the 2030 unification candidate, it must be formally approved at a meeting of the 211 member federations next year. It’s supposed to be just a formality. FIFA said the 2034 nominations would be decided at a separate meeting.
“In 2030, three continents – Africa, Europe and South America – and six countries – Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay – will join us, creating a unique global footprint that welcomes the world, unites and celebrates together. “It was a beautiful game, a 100th anniversary and a FIFA World Cup,” Infantino said in a statement.
The 48-team, 104-game tournament, scheduled for June-July 2030, will begin with matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, before moving to core hosts Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
The plan involved an unprecedented amount of travel across distances and time zones, and was unpopular with Football Supporters Europe, a fan group sanctioned by European soccer body UEFA.
“FIFA continues its cycle of destruction against the greatest competition on earth,” FSE said in a statement. “It’s horrifying for supporters, it ignores the environment and rolls out the red carpet for the 2034 host country, which has an appalling human rights record.”
A South American joint bid to host the World Cup has been in the works since the 2018 World Cup in Russia, and included Chile, but it was not mentioned on Wednesday.
At a press conference at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland, Ukraine, which had been included as a candidate for a European bid a year ago, was also removed. It was not mentioned in any official comments on this year’s UEFA-backed bid.
The first 48-team Men’s World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.
The 2030 decision represents a victory for Morocco. Morocco has invested heavily in the infrastructure of its metropolis and was selected last week to host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations. The men’s national team helped push that claim by defeating Spain and Portugal in the previous round and reaching the World Cup semi-finals in Qatar.
This will be the second African country to host the tournament, following South Africa in 2010.
Morocco’s King Mohammed VI’s royal cabinet said in a statement Wednesday that the selection “recognizes Morocco’s chosen position in the ranks of great powers.”
Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez has expressed public concern that if Rubiales remains in office, Spain’s bid to host the men’s World Cup could be derailed.
“As men’s and women’s world title champions, we prove the strength of our country and uphold the values of equality, solidarity and fair play that should always be present in sport,” Sanchez said in Spanish on X (formerly Twitter). ”
