FIFA confirmed the host nations of the 2030 and 2034 editions of the FIFA World Cup. The 2030 edition will be hosted by six countries across three continents in an edition that will mark the 100-year anniversary of the tournament. The mega tournament will return to the Gulf in 2034 with Saudi Arabia declared hosts.
FIFA confirmed the host nations of the 2030 and 2024 FIFA World Cups on Wednesday (December 11) in an extraordinary congress session that was spearheaded by President Gianni Infantino with all member associations in attendance in an online meeting.
The 2030 edition of the tournament will be an unprecedented tournament, as a total of six countries across three continents will host the tournament. While Spain (Europe), Portugal (Europe), and Morocco are the three main host nations, three South American nations (Paraguay, Argentina, and Uruguay) will host one match each as part of the centenary celebrations of the tournament.
Uruguay will host the opening match of the tournament while the second and third match will take place in Argentina and Paraguay.
Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia was also confirmed as the host nation of the 2034 edition, marking the third time the tournament will take place in Asia and the second in a Gulf nation after Qatar 2022. This will be the first time in history that a 48-team FIFA World Cup is held in a single host nation.
For those unversed, the 2026 edition, set to be hosted by the United States of America, Mexico, and Canada, will see the world’s most popular sporting event expand from a 32-team event to 48 participating teams.
Neither the 2030 nor the 2034 bids had any competition, and after a presentation by all host nations, they were confirmed as the host nation.