The 2030 men’s World Cup will spread across six different countries and three continents, and will largely be hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco.
Three opening games will be staged in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to mark the 100-year anniversary of the World Cup, which was first held in 1930 in Montevideo, Uruguay. But the tournament will then move entirely to the Iberian peninsula and Morocco.
FIFA, global soccer’s governing body, brokered an agreement between all six countries, and announced the hosting arrangement shortly after its FIFA Council meeting Wednesday.
“In 2030, we will 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 hosts had previously been members of rival bids. Spain and Portugal joined forces way back in 2020, then welcomed Morocco — which had previously planned to bid on its own — to form the first multi-continental bid in World Cup history earlier this year. Separately, the three South American nations, plus Chile, had long planned to push for a centennial World Cup, which made all sorts of sentimental sense.
The Iberian-Morocco bid, though, seemed to be the political and economic favorite. So, rather than trudge through an uphill bidding process, the South Americans jumped at a compromise.
They’ll be involved. The World Cup opener will be at the aptly named Estádio Centenário in Montevideo. Uruguay’s capital will also host a “unique centenary celebration ceremony,” FIFA said.
But the bulk of hosting responsibilities will then fall on Spain and two first-time hosts, Portugal and Morocco. (Morocco will be the first North African host of the tournament. It had previously bid unsuccessfully five times, and lost out to the U.S., Canada and Mexico for 2026.)
FIFA officials also decided Wednesday that only countries from the Asia and Oceania confederations will be allowed to bid for the 2034 men’s World Cup — because all other confederations (CONCACAF, South America, Europe and Africa) will have technically hosted in 2026 and 2030.
That decision conveniently opens a door for Saudi Arabia, which has expressed interest in bringing the tournament back to the Persian Gulf 12 years after Qatar. China or Australia could also bid, but the Saudis will be heavy favorites.
FIFA, meanwhile, has not advanced past the early stages of deciding on a 2027 women’s World Cup host, which is scheduled to be chosen in May 2024.
