The 2030 World Cup will be played in six countries on three continents. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the majority of the games, with three games also being played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. The world association FIFA decided this on Wednesday (October 4th, 2023).
The opening game is scheduled to take place in Uruguay, with two further games in Argentina and Paraguay. With this, FIFA also wants to honor the tournament’s anniversary accordingly. The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930.
The three South American countries originally wanted to hold the tournament in its entirety, but FIFA rejected this.
First South America then Europe and Africa
After the three games, the tournament continues with 48 nations in Morocco, Spain and Portugal. All six teams are automatically qualified for the final round. An anniversary celebration will also take place in Montevideo, the capital of the first World Cup host Uruguay.
FIFA’s announcement came as a surprise. The tournament was actually not supposed to be awarded until 2024 at the 74th FIFA Congress. This means that World Cup games will take place in North Africa, Portugal and Paraguay for the first time.
Uruguay hosted the first edition in 1930, Argentina hosted the World Cup in 1978 and Spain hosted the World Cup in 1982.
The 2026 World Cup will be played in the USA, Mexico and Canada. According to a FIFA announcement, only representatives from Asia and Oceania should apply for the 2034 World Cup. Saudi Arabia is very interested in playing host.