Spain will organize the 2030 World Cup. Unlike 1982, it will not be alone as the host. It will do so together with Morocco and Portugal, countries with which it formed one of the two candidates managed by FIFA, and with the help of Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina. The three South American countries that, with Chile, had applied as an alternative, have finally stepped aside in exchange for hosting three inaugural matches respectively. Thus, in the absence of official status, the World Cup returns to Spain 48 years later, although it is still unknown which venues will be on Spanish soil and how many matches it will host of the 104 that will be played in the second edition with 48 participants.
A World Cup in six countries. A World Cup on three continents, with an ocean in between and 10,000 km away. A tournament in two seasons: the cold southern winter and the hot Mediterranean summer. The 2030 World Cup will be unusual. It will begin in Uruguay, site of the first World Cup in history, in 1930, Argentina and Paraguay, and will end in Spain, Portugal and Morocco. It will be born in a river, the La Plata, and will flow into a sea, the Mediterranean. The format is unique.
The news was unexpected due to the timing of the announcement, 14 months ahead of schedule. FIFA, in a congress held yesterday by videoconference, unanimously decided that the candidacy made up of Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be the only one to continue in the race to organize the 2030 World Cup. It will not be official until the congress scheduled for December 2024. . However, this decision clears the way for that vote to be victorious. “In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting. In 2030 we will have a unique global footprint,” congratulated the president of football's governing body, Gianni Infantino.
The resolution has had a Solomonic point and has been possible after an alliance between the two candidates in contention. Both can be considered, to a greater or lesser extent, organizers. Until 2002, all World Cups had a single venue. Then, Japan and South Korea broke the tradition. There has been no other precedent until the 2026 World Cup, which will be played in three countries. Of course, the United States, Canada and Mexico belong to the same continent.
In a nod to South America, which was demanding the organization of the 2030 World Cup to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930, FIFA has awarded Paraguay, Uruguay and Argentina the three opening matches, one in each country, with the first match at the Centenario stadium in Montevideo.
This means that, in principle, only six teams – the three South American hosts and their first three rivals – will have to cross the pond after debuting to reacclimate to Mediterranean conditions. “We think big. The 2030 Centennial World Cup begins where it all began,” Alejandro Domínguez, president of the South American Conmebol, celebrated effusively.
In the Spanish Federation the decision was welcomed with enthusiasm. After what happened in the last month and a half with Rubiales, there were fears that the scandal could harm the candidacy's chances. “I am sure that together with Morocco and Portugal we will organize the best World Cup in history,” declared Pedro Rocha, interim president of the RFEF. Spain, which will have ten venues, now aspires to be the center of the world and to take over the great party of the 2030 final, its second World Cup.
FIFA took advantage of the congress to invite the confederations of Asia and Oceania to present venues for the 2034 World Cup. Saudi Arabia, which withdrew from the race for 2030, is a favorite.
