FIFA has again moved to breach new ground with its staging of the 2030 World Cup — an event that will mark the international football tournament's centenary edition.
The 2026 World Cup in the United States, Canada and Mexico will be the first time the competition has taken place across three countries and featured 48 teams.
This expanded scope has led to an unprecedented decision for the 2030 World Cup, with a surprise announcement of the host nations made on October 4, 2023.
There are six host countries in total, spread across three continents.
"In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting," said FIFA president Gianni Infantino.
"In 2030, we will have a unique global footprint, three continents [and] six countries welcoming and uniting the world while celebrating together the beautiful game, the centenary and the FIFA World Cup."
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Who are the hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup?
Via a video conference, the FIFA Council unanimously agreed to award the 2030 World Cup to the joint bid of Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
The inaugural 1930 World Cup was hosted in Uruguay, with the hosts beating Argentina in the final. At that time, South American federation CONMEBOL was the only continental governing body in existence. It is headquartered in Asuncion, Paraguay.
As such, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each host their country's opening game of the 2030 World Cup before the tournament moves en masse to Europe and North Africa.
Like Morocco, Portugal and Spain, all three South American hosts will qualify for the tournament automatically.
The first game will take place at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, which hosted the 1930 final.
"The FIFA Council agreed unanimously that the only bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be the joint bid of Morocco, Portugal and Spain," said Infantino.
"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."
CONMBEOL president Alejandro Dominguez tweeted to say: "We aimed high and dreamed big. The 2030 Centenario World Cup starts where it all began."
The decision to award the 2030 World Cup to Morocco, Spain, Portugal, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay is subject to the formality of ratification by the FIFA Congress in 2024.
Spain hosted the 1982 World Cup, while Portugal and Morocco have never staged the tournament. Portugal held Euro 2004 and Morocco will host the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations, having previously done so in 1988.
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Who will host the 2034 World Cup?
FIFA's unprecedented distribution of the hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup has notable consequences for who might host the 2030 competition.
Under the global governing body's rules, countries bidding to host World Cups can only do so if their continental federation has not hosted either of the previous two events.
As such, countries coming under CONCACAF cannot bid for 2034 on account of the USA, Canada and Mexico hosting in 2026. And, despite the unique nature of the hosting arrangements, it appears CONMEBOL nations will also take their turn to sit out alongside those playing under UEFA and CAF.
FIFA has invited countries from Asia and Oceania to submit bids for 2034.
"It was also agreed that in line with the principle of confederation rotation and of securing the best possible hosting conditions for the tournaments, the bidding processes for both the 2030 and 2034 editions be conducted concurrently, with FIFA member associations from the territories of the AFC and the OFC invited to bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2034," it said.
This would appear to make Saudi Arabia a clear early favourite to win the bid. The Gulf state was rumoured to be readying a bid for 2030 and the Saudi Press Agency swiftly confirmed its country's intention to enter the running.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman said: "The Kingdom's desire to host the 2034 World Cup is a reflection of the comprehensive renaissance it has achieved at all levels, which has made it a leadership centre and an international interface for hosting the largest and most important global events in various fields."
A Saudi bid would likely face criticism on similar grounds to neighbouring Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup amid concerns and protests around its human rights record, treatment of the LGBTQ+ community and other minorities, and the plight of migrant workers.
Any OFC bid to rival Saudi Arabia would most likely include Australia, which recently hosted the Women's World Cup and boasts considerable existing sporting infrastructure.
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2030 FIFA World Cup bidding timeline & process
The bidding process was officially launched in the second quarter of 2022, and FIFA announced that a host will be chosen at its 74th Congress in 2024.
This timeline is no longer necessary after FIFA recognised Morocco, Portugal and Spain as its sole candidate for the tournament.
Spain and Portugal initially launched a dual bid in October 2020. Two years later, the Iberian bid announced the intention to add Ukraine to its candidacy, despite the ongoing war following Russia's invasion of the Eastern European country.
"The example of tenacity and resilience set by the Ukrainian people is inspiring. This proposal aims to contribute through the power of football to the recovery of a country undergoing reconstruction," the FPF said.
The three-country bid was backed by UEFA but by March this year, the practicalities of a war-torn country being part of the proposal seemingly forced a re-think.
Morocco was welcomed onto the joint ticket, having been expected to make its own pitch for the tournament. The North African country had failed with five previous World Cup bids for 1994, 1998, 2006, 2010 and 2026.
Then RFEF president Luis Rubiales insisted in April that Ukraine remained part of a four-country bid, but that has not proved to be the case.
When Spain and Portugal put together a two-country proposal, there were set to be 11 Spanish venues from a 15-stadium shortlist. This is likely to be trimmed back after Morocco put forward six venues across Rabat, Casablanca, Tangier, Agadir, Marrakech and Fes for its part of the three-country bid.
Games in Portugal will take place at Estadio da Luz and Estadio Jose Alvalade in Lisbon, and Estadio do Dragao in Porto.
The first bid proposed to FIFA for the 2030 World Cup was a joint South American bid between Uruguay and Argentina, which was announced in July 2017.
Paraguay joined as a third host, while Chile was accepted as part of the bid in 2019.
As we now know, South America's hosting role will be far more minimal at the centenary World Cup. This raises questions over FIFA's expanded 48-team format and how it might narrow the pool of potential hosts for future tournaments due to the vast logistical and financial undertaking of staging such an event.
Money is likely to be no object when it comes to Saudi Arabia's designs on the World Cup, but multiple host nations are likely to become the norm in the longer term.
As of now, the 2002 World Cup in South Korea and Japan is the only tournament to have been hosted across two nations, with 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico poised to break new ground.
FIFA Men's World Cup host countries
Europe has hosted 11 of the 23 tournaments, while South America has welcomed five editions. The remaining seven World Cups were split between North America (4), Asia (2) and Africa (1).
| World Cup | Host Nation(s) | Continent |
|---|---|---|
| 1930 | Uruguay | South America |
| 1934 | Italy | Europe |
| 1938 | France | Europe |
| 1950 | Brazil | South America |
| 1954 | Switzerland | Europe |
| 1958 | Sweden | Europe |
| 1962 | Chile | South America |
| 1966 | England | Europe |
| 1970 | Mexico | North America |
| 1974 | Germany | Europe |
| 1978 | Argentina | South America |
| 1982 | Spain | Europe |
| 1986 | Mexico | North America |
| 1990 | Italy | Europe |
| 1994 | USA | North America |
| 1998 | France | Europe |
| 2002 | Japan & South Korea | Asia |
| 2006 | Germany | Europe |
| 2010 | South Africa | Africa |
| 2014 | Brazil | South America |
| 2018 | Russia | Europe |
| 2022 | Qatar | Asia |
| 2026 | USA, Canada & Mexico | North America |
