Morocco will become the second country in Africa after South Africa in 2010 to host the prestigious FIFA World Cup as they have been confirmed as one of the co-hosts of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
For the first time in the history of the World Cup, the world football governing body, FIFA, confirmed earlier today, October 4, that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will be hosted in three continents.
Before now, there have been instances where two countries co-hosted the World Cup in the same continent, like South Korea and Japan in 2002. In the next edition in 2026, three countries in the same continent, the United States, Mexico, and Canada will co-host the competition.
In a total shift from the usual, the 2030 edition will be co-hosted by Morocco in Africa, Spain, and Portugal in Europe, and Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay in South America.
This means that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will be hosted on three different continents and by six countries.
However, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal are the major hosts of the edition of the tournament as Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will only host the first three matches of the tournament.
FIFA decided to host the first three matches of the 2030 FIFA World Cup in South America to mark the World Cup’s centenary as it will be 100 years since the inaugural tournament in Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay.
FIFA president, Gianni Infantino said, “In a divided world, Fifa and football are uniting.
“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.
“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.”
Note 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, according to FIFA.
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