The 2030 World Cup is set to be hosted by six nations across three continents in what looks like another farcical decision by FIFA.
Football's governing body has confirmed that Spain, Portugal and Morocco will be the main hosts of the tournament, but the opening three games will be played thousands of miles away in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay.
This is apparently to celebrate the centenary of the inaugural World Cup, which was held in Uruguay in 1930, with the opening game set to be held at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo.
Both the sentiment and symmetry of that sound great, which begs the question, wouldn't it have made more sense for the entire tournament to be held in the three South American nations? Uruguay probably wouldn't have the facilities to host an entire 48-team World Cup by itself, so this feels like the next best thing.
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FIFA Council takes key decisions on FIFA World Cup™ editions in 2030 and 2034: Morocco, Portugal and Spain joint bid is the sole candidate to host FIFA World Cup 2030™
➡️https://t.co/cKJec1tIE4 pic.twitter.com/mwLRerCIlg— FIFA Media (@fifamedia) October 4, 2023
FIFA confirm 2034 bidding
Instead, it seems like a hollow gesture on the part of FIFA, who will uproot the entire tournament to Southern Europe and North Africa once the token South American fixtures are out of the way.
As well as confirming the scenario for 2030, FIFA have also announced that bidding for the 2034 edition of the tournament will be limited to associations from Asia and Oceania - which opens the door for an inevitably-successful bid from Saudi Arabia.
“In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino in his latest nonsense.
"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.
"As a result, a celebration will take place in South America and three South American countries - Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay - will organise one match each of the FIFA World Cup 2030. The first of these three matches will of course be played at the stadium where it all began, in Montevideo’s mythical Estádio Centenário, precisely to celebrate the centenary edition of the FIFA World Cup.”
The revelation comes on a big day of news for major football tournaments, with the UK and Ireland set to be confirmed as Euro 2028 hosts following the withdrawal of Turkey.
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