Yunus Olawale
Morocco has been named for the first time in the history of the World Cup to co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will be hosted on three continents. With this development in the world of the FIFA World Cup, Morocco would emerge as the second country in Africa after South Africa in 2010.
Morocco, to co-host the FIFA World Cup with other countries in the world, is not the first country to do so; some other countries, e.g., South Korea and Japan in 2002, and three countries on the same continent, the United States, Mexico, and Canada, will co-host the competition in 2026.
With the new dimension and development in the realm of the FIFA World Cup, Morocco in Africa will co-host the World Cup with Spain and Portugal in Europe, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay in South America for the 2030 edition. It could be implied that six countries from three different continents will co-host the 2030 FIFA World Cup tournament.
However, Gianni Infantino, the FIFA President, pinpointed that in a diverse world, FIFA and football play vital roles in uniting and spoke to the storyline of the FIFA establishment. He said, “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.”
He also emphasized the uniqueness that FIFA has displayed in uniting through the beautiful game. Infantino said, “In 2030, we will have a unique global footprint: three continents—Africa, Europe, and South America—and 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.”
Meanwhile, Morocco, Portugal, and Spain are the principal hosts of the tournament, whereas Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay are to only host their opening World Cup games in their respective countries. The rationale behind this is that Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay, was the place where the tournament was inaugurated in 1930. Hence, the opening of the 2030 FIFA World Cup tournament in the country’s capital will mark the FIFA World Cup’s centenary.
FIFA also clarified that only countries from the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation are permitted to bid for the 2034 edition of the World Cup.