Topline
Morocco, Spain and Portugal won the bid to host the 2030 men’s World Cup, FIFA announced Wednesday, adding that some elements of the tournament will be played in South America as a tribute to the 100th anniversary of the soccer tournament, which was originally played in Uruguay.
The 2030 Men’s World Cup will be hosted by Morocco, Spain and Portugal.
Key Facts
Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay submitted a bid to host the entire tournament, but instead will host a centenary celebration ceremony and the first three matches, FIFA said.
The opening game will be played at Estadio Centenario in Uruguay, a stadium which was originally built for the inaugural 1930 tournament, FIFA president Gianni Ingantino said.
After the first three games, the players will travel to Morocco, Spain and Portugal for the remainder of the tournament including the opening ceremony.
All six countries—Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay—will automatically qualify for the tournament.
Surprising Fact
This will be the first World Cup to be hosted across six countries. In 2026, the tournament will be played in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. In previous editions, the tournament was only hosted by one country, with the exception of 2002, when it was jointly hosted by Japan and South Korea.
Big Number
104. That’s how many games will be played among 48 teams during the 2030 World Cup.
Key Background
Initially, Morocco planned to launch an individual bid for the 2030 World Cup, but in March the country joined Spain and Portugal. The north African country unsuccessfully bid five times to host the tournament, in 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2026, before Wednesday’s announcement. Morocco’s push onto the hosting stage follows an impressive performance at the 2022 World Cup, when the team eliminated both Portugal and Spain en route to becoming the first African team to ever reach the semifinal stage. The leadup to Wednesday’s announcement was not without its controversies. After years of speculation, Department of Justice officials confirmed last year they had evidence some FIFA officials took bribes to secure hosting rights for Russia to host the World Cup in 2018 and Qatar to host in 2022. More than half the individuals involved in voting for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups have been accused of some kind of wrongdoing, according to the New York Times. The 2022 indictment—which charged three media executives and a sports marketing company with crimes including money laundering and wire fraud—followed multiple arrests in a 47-count indictment from 2015 against a number of soccer figures that splashed FIFA’s corruption allegations onto international headlines.
Tangent
FIFA was heavily criticized in 2022 for selecting Qatar to host over the country’s treatment of workers who constructed stadiums for the event and the country’s open hostility towards members of the LGBTQ community. Groups like Amnesty International and the Human Rights Watch denounced the working conditions and said they bordered on “modern slavery.” Thousands of workers reportedly died while working on the massive construction projects. In addition to the workers’ conditions, many criticized FIFA for selecting a host country that says homosexuality is a crime.
What To Watch For
Now that the hosts for the 2030 World Cup have been selected, FIFA has opened bidding for the 2034 World Cup, which will only be offered to member federations from Asia and Oceania since other regions already have plans to host forthcoming tournaments.
Further Reading
World Cup 2030: Morocco, Spain And Portugal To host With Opening Three Games In South America (The Athletic)
