Morocco, Spain and Portugal to host 2030 FIFA World Cup | OneFootball

The 2030 World Cup will be held across six different countries and three continents.

Morocco, Spain and Portugal have won the rights to host the tournament, according to FIFA, but there is an additional twist.

The opening three matches of the competition will be held in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to mark the 100th anniversary of the World Cup.

Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile – all of whom participated in the first-ever edition of football’s biggest event in 1930 – had earlier launched a joint bid of their own to host the entire tournament.

However, FIFA only granted the first three nations automatic qualification and an opening game apiece in front of their fans after which they will travel to the official host countries for the rest of the competition.

Morocco are set to become only the second-ever African nation to host a World Cup and the first since South Africa in 2010.

Their quest might not have been successful had they not teamed up with their European counterparts Spain and Portugal in March.

The Atlas Lions punched significantly above their weight during the 2022 World Cup in Qatar where they ended up in fourth place, eliminating both of their 2030 co-hosts Spain and Portugal, before eventually falling at the hands of beaten finalists France in the semi-final.

Meanwhile, Spain and Portugal endured disappointing outings on the global scale last time – both will be keen to turn their fortunes around on home turf.

All the 2030 World Cup hosts are currently focused on securing a place in the 2026 edition – the first 48-team World Cup – scheduled to be played in Canada, Mexico and the United States.