Spain, Portugal and Morocco will all co-host the 2030 FIFA men’s World Cup, but the opening matches of the tournament will be held in South America to mark the centenary of the quadrennial event. (More Football News)
After a successful 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the tournament will make its return to the African continent with Morocco as one of the co-hosts
Spain, Portugal and Morocco will all co-host the 2030 FIFA men’s World Cup, but the opening matches of the tournament will be held in South America to mark the centenary of the quadrennial event. (More Football News)
The 2030 World Cup will be played across three continents, and different hemispheres within the same tournament.
Four South American nations, namely, Argentina, Chile, Uruguay, and Paraguay, all had submitted a joint bid in early 2023.
However, by October 2023, FIFA (International Federation of Association Football) had confirmed the joint bid of Spain, Morocco, and Portugal.
Previously, Spain and Portugal had floated a dual bid in 2021, with Ukraine joining them in 2022.
Morocco came into the picture and replaced Ukraine amid the reported concerns of war.
After a successful 2010 World Cup in South Africa, the tournament will make its return to the African continent with Morocco as one of the co-hosts.
There has been no official confirmation but it is expected that the three co-hosts will have a total of 20 stadiums combined.
Spain is expected to host the majority of the games with 11 stadiums, while Morocco will host with six, and Portugal with three.
Barcelona’s Nou Camp and the Santiago Bernabeu will both host games, while Estadio Jose Alvalade (Sporting CP), Estadio da Luz (Benfica) and Estadio do Dragao (Porto) will all host in Portugal.
This will also be the first time that the World Cup will be hosted in North Africa.
The first three matches of the event will take place in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, with FIFA commemorating 100 years since the start of the first edition of the World Cup.
The 1930 World Cup was held in Uruguay, and the hosts were crowned champions.
The 2030 World Cup quotas are yet to be officially confirmed, but taking into consideration the 2026 format, it will be a 48-team tournament with 16 teams participating from Europe.
Africa - Nine
Asia - Eight
CONCACAF - Six
CONMEBOL - Six
Oceania - One
The 2030 World Cup will get underway from June 8, and will run till July 21, 2030.