Morocco, Spain, Portugal, and South America to Host World Cup 2030
The 2030 World Cup will be held in Morocco, Spain, and Portugal. However, the first three games will be played in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.
As part of the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup, South America put in a bid to host the whole thing. On Wednesday, FIFA said that the decision to give Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay the opening games was also related to the anniversary.
All six teams will immediately qualify for the event, and it will be the first time the World Cup is held on three different continents.
In 1930, Uruguay held and won the first World Cup. Argentina were the runners-up, and Paraguay is where the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) is situated. At the time of the 1930 event, CONMEBOL was the only association that existed.
After the first three games, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, along with their three opponents, will go to Morocco, Spain, and Portugal to play the rest of the games.
The head of FIFA, Gianni Infantino, said that the first game would be played at Uruguay’s Estadio Centenario, which was built for the 1930 event and where the final was held.
The opening event will still happen in either Spain, Portugal, or Morocco.
Morocco will host the World Cup for the first time in 2030. In 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010, and 2026, the country tried to host the World Cup but was not chosen. It will also be the first country in North Africa to host World Cup games.
Morocco had planned to make a move on its own at first, but in March, it joined forces with Spain and Portugal.
Portugal will also be hosting for the first time. It tried to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, but failed. In 1982, Spain was the host country. Portugal did host the Euro 2004 tournament, where they came in second place.
The Spanish government said in a statement that the news was “truly transcendental” for sports in the country.
Ukraine joined Spain and Portugal’s bid in October of last year and offered to host some group-stage games. However, the ongoing war with Russia made it unclear whether Ukraine was ready for a big event.
It will be the first time that the World Cup is played in six different countries. The game in 2026, which will be held in Canada, Mexico, and the United States, will be the only other time that more than two countries will host.
As part of its rotation policy, FIFA will look for bids from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) for the 2034 tournament. The Confederation of North, Central America, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) will host in 2026, and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), CONMBEOL, and UEFA will host in 2030.
“The FIFA Council agreed unanimously that the only bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030 will be the joint bid of Morocco, Portugal, and Spain,” Infantino said. “Two countries, Africa and Europe, came together not only for a football party, but also to create a unique sense of social and cultural unity. What a wonderful message of peace, acceptance, and openness!
“In 2030, we will have a unique global footprint: three continents—Africa, Europe, and South America—and six countries—Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, and Uruguay—welcoming and uniting the world while celebrating the beautiful game, the 100th anniversary, and the FIFA World Cup.”
CONMBEOL’s president, Alejandro Dominguez, said, “It’s a big deal, and CONMEBOL is happy. We’re paying tribute to the people who came before us, and we’re at that level right now. We’d like to say again how much we appreciate the trust that FIFA and our peers put in an important event and date.
“The good news is that since there are three countries and three guests, we don’t need to spend much more than we already do. And that’s very good news, because we all know that if this had been about money or business, we wouldn’t be able to fight in that situation.
“I think it would have been a bad idea for us to suggest this if it had been a race where our governments would have had to put up the money that countries do now to be hosts. I don’t think we would have been able to do it either, because we know that other countries have better economies and fewer goals than ours. So, I think this is a very smart and workable idea.”
Later on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia said that it would make a bid to host the men’s World Cup in 2034.
The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) said on Wednesday that it wanted to put on a “world-class tournament” for the 25th edition and that it would get ideas from the country’s “deep-rooted passion for football”
People said that FIFA didn’t take climate change seriously enough.
Later, FIFA’s choice to hold the 2030 World Cup on three continents was attacked as an example of football’s “inability to take the threat of climate change seriously.”
“Today’s announcement that the first three games of the 2030 World Cup will be played in South America, with the rest of the games spread across two continents, is yet another example of the footballing industry’s inability to take the threat of climate change seriously,” said Elliot Arthur-Worsop, founder of Football for Future, a non-profit organization that works to create an environmentally sustainable culture in the sport.
“Every day, we see that harsh weather like flash floods and heat waves are getting worse, which puts football games in danger.
“Today’s move from FIFA pushes players and fans to travel in ways that are bad for the environment and create tons of carbon emissions.
“This sets a bad example for future events at a time when climate change’s effects will only get worse.
“Football has the power to change this and get a whole group of fans to do something about it.
“It is up to FIFA and other governing bodies to set an example and take the lead in making a greener, more resilient future to protect the beautiful game we all love.”
FIFA has said in the past that it is “continuing to strengthen its environmental protection requirements and programs.” It says that it has made up for the “unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions” from the last three men’s World Cups and this year’s women’s World Cup.
Also Read:
