The 2030 World Cup: A Journey Across Six Countries and Three Continents

The 2030 World Cup: A Journey Across Six Countries and Three Continents

Opening Matches in South America

In a remarkable deal stitched together by Fifa President Gianni Infantino, the opening three matches of the tournament will be played in South America. That will see the first match played in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo, followed by Argentina hosting a game in Buenos Aires, before the third fixture is held in Asuncion, Paraguay.

Teams Face Grueling Travel Itinerary

The six teams involved in those games will then fly across the Atlantic, with the rest of the tournament shared between Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. England could be one of the teams involved, meaning the Three Lions would have to travel approximately 6,500 miles to South America for their first match. They would then have to travel the same distance back to Europe and Africa for their remaining group games either in Spain, Portugal, or Morocco.

The Road to the Final

The agreement was announced on X, formerly Twitter, by South American football boss Alejandro Dominguez. He said: “We aimed high and dreamed big. The 2030 Centenario World Cup starts where it all began. The host of the opening matches of the Centenario World Cup will be Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina.” It means the anticipated 101 games of the 48-team tournament played in Europe and North Africa, with the Final expected to be staged in Real Madrid’s Bernabeu.

We aimed high and dreamed big. The 2030 Centenario World Cup starts where it all began.

The host of the opening matches of the Centenario World Cup will be Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina.#MundialCentenario 🏆

— Alejandro Domínguez (@agdws) October 4, 2023

The Future of Global Football

The unprecedented agreement was voted through by Fifa’s ruling Council this afternoon and will now be confirmed by the annual Congress in Zurich at the end of next year. Uruguay hosted the first-ever World Cup in 1930, which they went on to win. Argentina last hosted the tournament in 1978, while Spain took that honor in 1982. Morocco will become the second African nation to host the tournament, following in the footsteps of South Africa where it was held in 2010. Portugal has never hosted the tournament.

Today’s news leaves the door open for Saudi Arabia to host the 2034 tournament – which would have to be another winter World Cup – although Australia are also potential bidders. Saudi has confirmed they plan to bid for the 2034 World Cup. But the shock development, expected to be announced by Fifa in the next few hours, shows Infantino’s ability to shape the future of the global game.

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