MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

FIFA confirms 2030 World Cup to be staged in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco

Football will be uniting six countries, the Domínguez said

Football's governing body FIFA announced Wednesday that the 2030 World Cup will be returning to the continent where it all started a century before but after opening games in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay, the rest of the event will be held in Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

“The joint bid of Morocco, Portugal, and Spain is the only candidate to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. Centennial celebrations and commemorative games will be held in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay,” FIFA said in a statement.

Read also: South America to host Football 2030 World Cup first round matches

South American Football Confederation (Conmebol) President Alejandro Domínguez held a press conference in Asunción to explain that “a 100-year-old World Cup could not, should not, fail to remember and not rise to the occasion, and that is how the full FIFA Council understood it. I want to thank [FIFA] President [Gianni] Infantino, I want to thank the President of UEFA, I want to thank my colleague President of the African Confederation and the entire FIFA Council that made it possible, and that football makes it possible, to unite three continents to celebrate a centenary of the most beautiful celebration and sport in the world, which is the heritage of all. Football united three continents, football unites six countries. A historic event!” said Domínguez, who was flanked by the heads of the three Football Associations involved: Claudio Tapia (Argentina - AFA), Robert Harrison (Paraguay - APF), and Ignacio Alonso (Uruguay - AUF).

Chile had also sought to host the 2030 event together with the other three South American nations, but it ended up empty-handed. “In fact, originally, there was only talk of two countries: Uruguay and Argentina. Then the World Cup was expanded from 32 to 48 and Paraguay was added in that context. Later Chile joined. It is true that Chile is not present this time, but that does not mean that we are not going to work for Chile to be there or that we will find something of this stature as well. It is a decision that FIFA makes, not us. We can propose and they are the ones who determine how and what,” Domínguez explained.

FIFA also argued that Chile's bid was unsuccessful due to the country's poor infrastructure at its stadiums, which do not meet the current standards, although the 1962 World Cup was played at some of them. The National Stadium in Santiago, which is being remodeled for the Oct. 20 opening ceremony of the Pan American Games, is close to international standards, but is still far from European venues, FIFA explained.

After the announcement, Chilean President Gabriel Boric Font telephoned his Argentine colleague Alberto Fernández to discuss the matter, it was reported in Santiago. The Argentine leader replied that “it was a FIFA decision.”

Boric reportedly instructed Sports Minister and former professional footballer Jaime Pizarro to look for alternatives to reverse the situation. “We have learned about it from the documentation on the FIFA website, which is somewhat curious,” Pizarro said.

”The centennial match will be played in Uruguay, given the commemoration of the 100th anniversary of the World Cup. An additional match will be played in Argentina since it was a finalist and runner-up in the 1930 World Cup. And an additional match will be played in Paraguay, headquarters of Conmebol, the first and only existing confederation in the 1930 World Cup,″ Pizarro said.

According to Chilean National Professional Football Association (AFNP) President Pablo Milad, “Montevideo will be the venue in its own right, for having hosted the first World Cup in 1930; Argentina for being the current champion and Paraguay for being the headquarters of Conmebol.”