By Monica Iheakam
Morocco, Spain and Portugal have been selected as hosts of the 2030 FIFA men’s World Cup, with three South American nations hosting the opening matches to celebrate the tournament’s centenary.
The FIFA Executive Committee rising from their meeting on Wednesday unanimously agreed to the joint Morocco-Spain-Portugal bid to host the 2030 World Cup since it was the only bid in the race for hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Morocco becomes the second African country to host the World Cup after South Africa
In a statement on Wednesday, FIFA stated that extensive consultations with all confederations and given the importance of marking the centenary of the FIFA World Cup were some of the key decisions taken by the Council.
“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.
“In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
“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 organise 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.”