In a news item that has sent shockwaves in the world soccer, Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez broke the news on X, that three games of the 2030 FIFA World Cup will be in held in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. They would be just the opening matches.
Then the tournament is slated to move to Europe and Africa for the remainder, upon the initial tweets and breaking news in South America, FIFA has issued a statement on the matter clearing up many questions raised by the casual announcement by Conmebol.
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At the moment, FIFA announced that the intention of the 2030 FIFA World Cup is to “unite the world in unique global celebration”, with Morocco, Portugal and Spain being the remaining and formal nations to host the 2030 World Cup. Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will host “celebration games”, opening matches, as a tribute to the first World Cup held in Uruguay in 1930.
FIFA Statement on 2030 World Cup
FIFA also stated that members of the AFC and OFC federations have been invited to make bid requests for the 2034 tournament.
“In 2030, the FIFA World Cup will unite three continents and six countries, inviting the entire world to join in the celebration of the beautiful game, the Centenary, and the FIFA World Cup itself. The FIFA Council unanimously agreed that the sole candidacy will be the combined bid of Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, which will host the event in 2030 and qualify automatically from the existing slot allocation subject to the completion of a successful bidding process conducted by FIFA and a decision by the FIFA Congress in 2024.
“Additionally, having taken into account the historical context of the first-ever FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Council further unanimously agreed to host a unique centenary celebration ceremony in the country’s capital, Montevideo, where the first ever FIFA World Cup took place in 2030, as well as three World Cup matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay respectively.”
FIFA President Gianni Infantino followed up with a statement of his own, “In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting… The FIFA Council, representing the entire world of football, unanimously agreed to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup, whose first edition was played in Uruguay in 1930, in the most appropriate way. As a result, a celebration will take place in South America and three South American countries – Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay – will organize one match each of the FIFA World Cup 2030. The first of these three matches will of course be played at the stadium where it all began, in Montevideo’s mythical Estádio Centenário, precisely to celebrate the centenary edition of the FIFA World Cup.”
“The FIFA Council also agreed unanimously that the only bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be the joint bid of Morocco, Portugal and Spain,” the FIFA President added. “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.
“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,” the FIFA President concluded.
Launch of the bidding process for the FIFA World Cup 2034
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The 2034 World Cup will rotate then to Oceania and Africa for said edition, with the minimum hosting requirements by FIFA being in place to present a formal bid.
