The FIFA Council has officially designated the joint bid by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain as the exclusive candidate to host the FIFA World Cup 2030™. This decision ensures that the tournament will be a global celebration, marking a unique centenary commemoration in the birthplace of the first-ever FIFA World Cup™, which took place in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930. In addition to the centenary event, three World Cup matches will be hosted by Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will bring together three continents and six countries, extending an open invitation to the entire world to join in celebrating the beautiful game, the tournament’s centenary, and the FIFA World Cup itself. This collective endeavor will see Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, as the tournament hosts, along with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, as the hosts of the centenary celebration, qualifying automatically according to their respective confederations’ slot allocation quotas. These qualifications are contingent on a successful bidding process conducted by FIFA and a final decision by the FIFA Congress in 2024.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino expressed the unifying power of football, stating, “In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting.” The FIFA Council’s unanimous decision to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup in a fitting manner emphasizes the significance of the tournament’s origins in Uruguay in 1930. It was agreed that a centenary celebration would take place in South America, with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay each hosting one match of the FIFA World Cup 2030.
The opening match of these three games will be played at the historic Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, where the first World Cup began. The FIFA Council also made it clear that the exclusive bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be the joint proposal presented by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain.
FIFA President Infantino noted, “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.” The 2030 tournament will feature a global footprint, uniting three continents—Africa, Europe, and South America—across six countries: Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain, and Uruguay. This collective effort will celebrate the global passion for football, the centenary milestone, and the essence of the FIFA World Cup.
Uruguay, as the inaugural host, secured victory in the very first FIFA World Cup in 1930, defeating Argentina in a thrilling final with a score of 4-2. FIFA President Jules Rimet presented the winning team with the World Cup trophy, which was later named in his honor. The inaugural tournament featured 13 nations, including Argentina, Belgium, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, France, Mexico, Paraguay, Peru, Romania, USA, Uruguay, and Yugoslavia. In contrast, the 2030 edition will include 48 teams competing for glory, reflecting the tournament’s expansion to accommodate more nations from 2026 onwards.
