The 2030 World Cup is expected to be hosted by Spain-Portugal-Morocco, with three South American countries joining

A unique 2030 World Cup is set to be played in Europe and Africa, with the surprise inclusion of South America under a deal that will allow the men’s soccer tournament to begin with a 100th birthday celebration in Uruguay.

GENEVA (`) — A unique 2030 World Cup is set to be played in Europe and Africa, with the surprise inclusion of South America under an agreement that allows the men’s soccer tournament to begin with a 100th birthday celebration in Uruguay.

FIFA reached an agreement between continental soccer leaders on Wednesday to accept only one candidate to host the 2030 tournament, the sports body said.

The bid between Spain and Portugal was expanded this year to include Morocco and now also includes long-standing rivals Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

A key advantage of the unprecedented Three Continents Project is its opening in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo, where the Centenario Stadium hosted the first World Cup final in 1930.

“The centenary of the World Cup could not be far from South America, where it all began,” said Alejandro Dominguez, the president of South American soccer association CONMEBOL. “The 2030 World Cup will be held on three continents.”

The consensus between once-rival soccer continents also allowed FIFA to accelerate the opening of the 2034 World Cup bid competition, limited to member associations from Asia and Oceania.

Saudi Arabia has set its sights on the 2034 edition and Australia is also interested after successfully hosting the Women’s World Cup alongside New Zealand this year. Either way, the 2034 tournament will almost certainly be played in November and December – like last year’s World Cup in Qatar.

The FIFA Council’s adoption of a unified candidacy for 2030 still requires formal approval at a meeting of the 211 member associations next year. This should just be a formality.

“In 2030, we will have a unique global presence, three continents – Africa, Europe and South America – six countries – Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay – welcoming and uniting the world while celebrating the beautiful game’s 100th anniversary. anniversary and the FIFA World Cup,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

The 48-team, 104-game tournament, scheduled for June-July 2030, is scheduled to begin with games in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay before action shifts to key host nations Spain, Portugal and Morocco. It requires an unprecedented amount of travel across distances and time zones.

The South American co-host bid has been promoted since the 2018 World Cup in Russia and also included Chile, which was not mentioned on Wednesday.

Ukraine was also left out of the European bid after being included in the European bid at a press conference at UEFA headquarters in Switzerland a year ago. However, Ukraine was not mentioned in official comments on the UEFA-backed bid this year.

The first 48-team men’s World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026.

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