World Cup 2030: Morocco, Spain and Portugal to host with opening three games in South America

Morocco, Spain and Portugal will host the 2030 World Cup — but the opening three matches of the tournament will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.

A South American bid had been put forward to host the entire tournament to mark the centenary of the very first World Cup and FIFA said on Wednesday that the decision to award Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay the opening games was part of the tournament’s 100th anniversary.

All six countries will qualify automatically for the tournament and it will be the first World Cup to be held across three continents.

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.

Following the first three matches, Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and their three opponents will then travel to Morocco, Spain and Portugal for the remainder of the tournament.

FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed the opening game would be played at Estadio Centenario in Uruguay, the stadium which was purpose built for the 1930 tournament and hosted the final.

The opening ceremony will still take place in Morocco, Portugal or Spain.

The 2030 tournament will see Morocco host the World Cup for the first time, having had five unsuccessful bids to host the 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2026 versions of the tournament. It will also be the first country to host World Cup matches in North Africa.

Morocco had initially intended to launch a sole bid, before joining forces with Spain and Portugal in March.

Portugal will also host for the first time, having launched unsuccessful bids to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups alongside Spain, who hosted the 1982 edition. Portugal did host Euro 2004, where they were beaten finalists.

A statement from the Spanish government said the news was “truly transcendental” for sport in the country.

Ukraine had joined the Spain and Portugal bid in October last year with the offer to host some group-stage matches but their readiness for a major tournament had been in doubt amid the ongoing war against Russia.

It will mark the first time a World Cup has been played across six separate countries, with the 2026 tournament in Canada, Mexico and the United States the only other edition to have more than two host nations.

With the Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) hosting in 2026 and the Confederation of African Football (CAF), CONMBEOL and UEFA in 2030, in line with its rotation policy, FIFA will look to welcome bids from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) for the 2034 tournament.

“The FIFA Council agreed unanimously that the only bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be the joint bid of Morocco, Portugal and Spain,” said Infantino. “Two continents – Africa and Europe – united not only in a celebration of football but also in providing unique social and cultural cohesion. What a great message of peace, tolerance and inclusion.

“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,”

Alejandro Dominguez, CONMBEOL president, said: “It’s a historic event and CONMEBOL is happy. We’re honouring the memory of those who came before us and today we’re at the level. We appreciate again the confidence that FIFA and our colleagues showed for a historic event and date.

“The good thing is that in having three countries, three hosts, we’re talking about almost no other investment more than what already exists. And that’s very good news because we all know that in that context, unfortunately we’re not able to compete if this had been a question of investment or money demands.

“If this had been a competition where our governments had to commit the funds which today countries commit to be hosts, I think it would have been an irresponsible proposal from us. And I think we wouldn’t have been able to either because we know that there are other countries who have much better economic conditions and fewer priorities than our nations. So I think this is a super responsible and very viable proposal.”

Later on Wednesday, Saudi Arabia confirmed its intention to bid to host the 2034 men’s World Cup.

The Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF) said on Wednesday that it sought to deliver a “world-class tournament” in the 25th edition, and said its bid would draw inspiration from the country’s “deep-rooted passion for football”.

FIFA criticised for not taking climate change ‘seriously’

FIFA’s decision to host the 2030 World Cup in three continents was later  criticised as an example of football’s “inability to take the threat of climate change seriously”.

“The announcement today that the first three games of the 2030 World Cup will be played in South America, before hosting the remaining matches 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 organisation that aims to create an environmentally sustainable culture in the sport.

“Every day we are seeing how extreme weather events, flash floods, and heatwaves are intensifying, putting football matches at risk.

“Today’s decision from FIFA forces players and fans to generate tonnes of carbon emissions through unsustainable travel.

“This sets a dangerous precedent for future tournaments at a time when the impacts of climate change are only going to get worse.

“Football has the power to change this and inspire a generation of fans to act.

“It is up to FIFA and other governing bodies to set an example, and take a leading role in creating a greener, more resilient future, to protect the beautiful game that we all love.”

FIFA has previously said it continues “to strengthen its requirements and programmes related to environmental protection”. It claims to have offset the “unavoidable greenhouse gas emissions” from the past three men’s World Cups, as well as the women’s tournament earlier this year.

Is 2030 decision a good move by FIFA?

Analysis by soccer reporter Felipe Cardenas

When you think that FIFA and its confederation decision makers cannot possibly outdo themselves, they do. FIFA’s decision to split the 2030 World Cup between six countries on two continents, and to do so under the guise of “uniting the world,” is laughable. It’s clear that CONMEBOL were never in a position to host the 2030 tournament.

It was a romantic idea for the World Cup to return to Uruguay 100 years later, however, infrastructure concerns made it impossible for Uruguay to host the expanded 48-team field. Did we really think that Europe would allow FIFA to hold two consecutive World Cups in the Americas? FIFA looks like the parent who needed a reward system to appease two spoiled children.

Even the joint CONMEBOL bid, with Argentina and Paraguay, was a haphazard attempt to make a nonviable bid look official. Playing the opening matches in South America will give Uruguay and the CONMEBOL their moment in 2030, albeit short lived. It’s the easiest way to play a World Cup in Uruguay without showcasing the country’s inability to welcome the world.

Now FIFA, UEFA and CONMEBOL will attempt to minimise the obvious travel concerns that a transatlantic World Cup will undoubtedly have. Having to stomach a watered down 48-team World Cup was bad enough. A World Cup on two continents, however, is a bridge too far.

(Photo: Sebnem Coskun/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)