Six countries across three continents to host 2030 FIFA World Cup
Spain, Portugal and Morocco will stage most matches, while Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay host centenary games marking 100 years of the tournament.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be the first in history to be held across six countries and three continents, as FIFA celebrates the centenary of the tournament, which was first played in Uruguay in 1930.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco will serve as the main hosts, staging 101 of the tournament's 104 matches. Three additional group-stage matches will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay to commemorate the inaugural World Cup.
The tournament will also be the first to be co-hosted by Europe and Africa.
Centenary celebrations in South America
Uruguay will host the centenary celebration in Montevideo, the city that staged the first World Cup final in 1930, along with one group-stage match.
Argentina and Paraguay will each host one group-stage fixture before the competition shifts entirely to Spain, Portugal and Morocco for the remainder of the tournament.
Under FIFA's proposed schedule, the centenary celebrations and the opening matches in South America will take place on June 8-9, 2030.
The official opening ceremony and opening match or matches in the main host nations are scheduled for June 13-14.
The final will be played on July 21.
Format remains unchanged
The 2030 World Cup is expected to retain the expanded 48-team format introduced at the 2026 tournament.
The competition will feature 12 groups of four teams, with the top two sides from each group and the eight best third-placed teams advancing to the round of 32 before the knockout stages.
A total of 104 matches will be played.
All six host nations—Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay—will qualify automatically, while the remaining places will be decided through continental qualifying tournaments.
Why the tournament is unique
FIFA says the format is designed to link the tournament's South American origins with its modern global reach as the World Cup marks its 100th anniversary.
Because several teams will travel between South America, Europe and Africa during the group stage, FIFA plans to build longer rest periods into the match schedule to accommodate the additional travel.
Source:AA
