The FIFA Council approved the joint candidacy of Morocco, Portugal and Spain in a single candidate bidding process. Therefore, subject to a successful bidding process conducted by the FIFA administration, their evaluation report to the FIFA Council and a decision by the FIFA Congress, Morocco, Portugal and Spain will be the tournament hosts, with 101 matches. The proposal was developed in consultation with, and supported by, the Confederations of CAF, CONMEBOL and UEFA.

2030 is a symbolic milestone for FIFA, as it celebrates 100 years since the first FIFA World Cup was played in South America across three stadiums. Following extensive consultation with all Confederations, the FIFA Council approved a unique celebration of the centenary of the FIFA World Cup in South America, specifically in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay. Therefore, subject to a successful bidding process conducted by the FIFA administration, their evaluation report to the FIFA Council (to assess whether the minimum hosting requirements are met) and a decision by the FIFA Congress, three matches of the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be played across Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina.

The candidacy of Morocco, Portugal and Spain for the FIFA World Cup 2030 was proposed by CAF and UEFA. Similarly the candidacy of Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay for the Centenary Celebration was proposed by CONMEBOL. Together the three confederations endorsed the overall proposal of these candidacies. With regard to the latter, subject to the successful bidding process outlined above and approval by the FIFA Congress, the centenary game will be played in Montevideo, Uruguay, in conjunction with the centenary celebration and ceremony, in recognition of Uruguay’s role as the host and winner of the 1930 edition. A game will be played in Argentina in recognition of Argentina’s role as finalist and runner-up of the 1930 edition. A game will be played in Paraguay in recognition of Paraguay’s role as the home of CONMEBOL, the first and only confederation in existence at the time of the 1930 edition.

The FIFA Council is the main decision making body of FIFA. It consists of members which include FIFA President Gianni Infantino, elected by the FIFA Congress, and eight FIFA vice presidents: Sheikh Salman (AFC), senior vice president; Alejandro Dominguez (CONMEBOL); Victor Montagliani (Concacaf); Aleksander Ceferin (UEFA); Lambert Maltock (OFC); Patrice Motsepe (CAF); Sandor Csanyi (UEFA) and Debbie Hewitt (UEFA), appointed via the Confederations. There are 28 other members elected by member associations via the Congress of their respective Confederations – each for a term of four years. Full details are provided here. This decision was unanimous.  

Subject to the successful bidding process outlined above and approval by the FIFA Congress, Morocco, Portugal and Spain, as tournament hosts, and Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, as hosts of the centenary celebration, will qualify automatically from the slot allocation quota of their respective confederations.

The match schedule of the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be uniquely adapted to provide additional and adequate days between matches for the teams involved in the Centenary Celebratory games to travel, rest, adapt and prepare. The intended schedule will provide approximately 11 to 12 days for travel and rest before the second game of the six teams playing in South America, with approximately five to six days for travel and rest for the remaining six group opponents, and all other participating teams. The three matches played in South America will be brought forward to a few days before the official opening matches of the FIFA World Cup, which will be played in Morocco, Portugal and Spain. The below summary illustrates the relevant dates of how this could be achieved.

The required adjustments to the match schedule will all be achieved within the framework of the existing International Match Calendar, with the total release period remaining unchanged compared to the FIFA World Cup 2026. Consequently, there would be no additional days required to the status quo, with no additional burden on any participating teams, players or their domestic clubs. Additionally, the same exceptions to the overall total release period for the FIFA World Cup 2026™ for those players competing in the finals of confederation club competitions will also apply.

In terms of increased travel for fans, of course without the fans, the FIFA World Cup is nothing. The FIFA World Cup is a global event and three games in South America will also offer supporters in that region the chance to attend games in the tournament, with half of the teams playing at home, where they may not ordinarily have travelled to Europe and/or Africa.

Subject to the successful bidding process outlined above and approval by the FIFA Congress, Morocco, Portugal and Spain will be the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2030. Therefore, for 101 games, the tournament will be played in a footprint of neighboring countries in close geographic proximity and with extensive and well developed transport links and infrastructure. Three games will take place in South America to mark the 100th year of the tournament, in a unique celebration. FIFA will take all required measures to mitigate the environmental impact of the FIFA World Cup. From a sustainability point of view, it’s also worth mentioning that only one bid significantly reduces travel in relation to site inspection visits and other meetings.

The FIFA Congress, which is made up of all 211 member associations, is expected to take its decision by Q4 2024.

Yes, FIFA is a transparent governing body and all documents are published on FIFA.com and, where relevant, in all FIFA media releases.