The 2030 FIFA World Cup is set to be held in six countries; Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. The arrangement is pending the official appointment of the hosts by the Federation International Football Association Congress next year.
According to the drafted format, the tournament will be played across three continents for the first time in the history of the World Cup. The first three games have been scheduled to take place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the tournament.
The reason for Uruguay’s selection as a co-host for the 2030 World Cup is in recognition of their role as hosts and winners of the opening tournament, Argentina’s as runners-up in that tournament and Paraguay’s as the traditional home of The South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL).
Reports have shown that FIFA has chosen Montevideo in Uruguay to stage the opening match of the tournament, the city that hosted the first World Cup finals match in 1930. Afterward, games in Argentina and Paraguay are set to follow.
The rest of the 48-team tournament will then continue in North Africa (Morocco) and Europe(Spain and Portugal), under a proposal from UEFA, the Confederation of African Football and the South American Confederation CONMEBOL which was accepted by the FIFA Council.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed his delight at the news, saying: “In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting.
“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.”
President of CONMEBOL Alejandro was also optimistic about the success of the arrangement. “We aimed high and dreamed big. The 2030 Centenario World Cup starts where it all began. The host of the opening matches of the Centenario World Cup will be Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina.”
The arrangement revealed that all six selected hosts will qualify automatically for the tournament and will play their opening games on their respective home soil.
