Europe, Africa, South America to host 2030 World Cup games

Morocco, Portugal and Spain will be joint hosts for the 2030 World Cup but games will also be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay as the footballing showpiece celebrates its centenary, FIFA announced on Wednesday.

FIFA said in a statement that the matches in South America – one each in Montevideo, Buenos Aires and Asuncion – were part of the celebration to mark 100 years since the first World Cup in Uruguay.

The announcement puts an end to competition between two major bids, one led by Spain and Portugal and the other from Argentina, Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay.

"In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.

"The FIFA Council, representing the entire world of football, unanimously agreed to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup, whose first edition was played in Uruguay in 1930, in the most appropriate way."

World football's governing body said the hosts must still be officially rubber-stamped by the FIFA Congress next year.

However, Wednesday's announcement means the way seems clear for this unprecedented intercontinental format, which promises complex political and logistical challenges and raises further questions about the environmental impact of major sporting events.

The move drew immediate criticism from the influential lobby group Football Supporters Europe, who described it as "the end of the World Cup as we know it".

"FIFA continues its cycle of destruction against the greatest tournament on earth," it said on X, formerly Twitter, adding that the decision was "horrendous for supporters" and "disregards the environment".

Exit Ukraine

At one stage, Spain and Portugal had included Ukraine in their bid, saying they wanted to send "a message of solidarity and hope" and pay tribute to the "tenacity and resilience" of a country invaded by Russia in February 2022.

Morocco, a five-time unsuccessful candidate to host the tournament, joined them in mid-March.

The agreement between European body UEFA and its African (CAF) and South American (CONMEBOL) counterparts confirms the withdrawal of Ukraine and also that of the South American countries, in exchange for a symbolic concession.

FIFA said Spain, Portugal and Morocco would all qualify automatically for the competition.

"I am convinced that with Morocco and Portugal we will organise the best World Cup in history," said Pedro Rocha, the interim president of the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF), in a joint statement issued with those of Morocco and Portugal.

/KN/