The 2026 and 2030 editions of the FIFA World Cup will have an additional 16 teams as a staggering 48 nations will battle it out for the reputable international trophy.
It is already confirmed that the United States, Canada and Mexico will host the 2026 World Cup, and the rights for the 2030 edition have just been announced…
Who won the rights to host the 2030 World Cup?
Spain, Portugal and Morocco will co-host the 2030 World Cup but Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will stage the opening three games of the tournament. FIFA elected to award the opening games to the three South American nations as part of the tournament’s 100th anniversary
It will be Morocco and Portugal's first time hosting a World Cup, with the former having five unsuccessful bids dating back to 1994 whilst the latter saw two previous bids dismissed. Spain haven't hosted the tournament since 1982.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino confirmed the six host nations on Wednesday afternoon.
“The FIFA Council agreed unanimously that the only bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be the joint bid of Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
"Two continents – Africa and Europe – united not only in a celebration of football but also in providing unique social and cultural cohesion. What a great message of peace, tolerance and inclusion.
“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," Infantino said.
The opening ceremony will still take place in either Spain, Portugal or Morocco.
It will be the first time a World Cup is held across three continents and all of the six nations will be automatically advanced through to the group stages of the tournament.
Who was bidding to host the 2030 World Cup?
Ukraine was due to join Portugal and Spain in their World Cup hosting proposal, however, due to the ongoing conflict with Russia, the Eastern European country had to pull the plug on their dreams of welcoming some of the world’s best international squads into their borders.
Who else was interested in hosting the World Cup?
After the recent success of the 2022 edition of the competition hosted in Qatar, fellow Middle Eastern nation Saudi Arabia wanted to see if they could top the success of their neighbours.
Saudi Arabia was one of the best-supported nations during the last World Cup along with England and the USA, which is a strong indication that the country's population would be very interested in seeing the tournament take place in their home country.
Despite finishing bottom of their group and not making it to the knockout stages, the Green Falcons shocked the world as they were the only team to beat eventual champions Argentina, which does show they have some quality among their ranks.
Saudi Arabia did plan to submit an offer for the rights to host the 2030 World Cup in a joint bid along with Egypt and Greece. The Middle Eastern nation has since reportedly withdrawn from the bidding process and will look to host in 2034 instead, though nothing has been confirmed by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation.
They look like they are too busy to host a World Cup for the time being, as the government-backed PIF (Public Investment Fund) looks to splash the cash in domestic club football before they start thinking about opening their bank account on the world stage.
The PIF have majority control over Al-Ittihad, Al-Ahli, Al-Nassr and Al-Hilal, with the four clubs having all spent handsomely in the summer – recruiting some world-class players in the process.
The PIF’s clubs spent a whopping £635m during the recent summer transfer window, with renowned names like Neymar and Sadio Mane swapping Europe for a nice payday under the sun in the Middle East as Saudi Arabia looks to disrupt world football.
England were beaten by Russia in the bid for the 2018 edition, and have since returned to the negotiation table alongside the rest of the UK and Ireland – only for them to withdraw at the start of 2022.
The five nations have instead targeted the UEFA 2028 European Championship as a competition that they would like to host instead, as it would offer them a similar level of income.
A statement from the associations read: "Hosting a UEFA Euro offers a similar return on investment, with the European tournament carrying a far lower delivery cost and the potential of the benefits being realised sooner.
"It would be an honour and a privilege to collectively host Euro 2028 and to welcome all of Europe.
"It would also be a wonderful opportunity to demonstrate the true impact of hosting a world-class football tournament by driving positive change and leaving a lasting legacy across our communities."
Spain, Portugal and Morocco: Which stadiums are potential venues?
Spain announced their 15-stadium shortlist last year for potential venues, with only a fraction being selected for the official competition due to Morocco joining the bid.
All stadiums that are eligible to host World Cup matches must have a minimum capacity of 40,000, with all shortlisted stadiums under the required number of seats able to be expanded.
Below are the shortlisted venues in Spain and Portugal, along with potential stadiums that could be used in Morocco:
Name Country City Capacity Grand Stade de Casablanca Morocco Casablanca 93,000 Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium Morocco Rabat 53,000 Ibn Batouta Stadium Morocco Tangier 65,000 Adrar Stadium Morocco Agadir 45,480 Marrakech Stadium Morocco Marrakech 45,240 Fez Stadium Morocco Fes 45,000 Estádio do Dragão Portugal Porto 50,033 Estádio da Luz Portugal Lisbon 64,642 Estádio José Alvalade Portugal Lisbon 50,095 Camp Nou Spain Barcelona 105,000 Cornellà-El Prat Spain Barcelona 40,000 Santiago Bernabéu Stadium Spain Madrid 81,044 Estadio Metropolitano Spain Madrid 68,456 Nou Mestalla Spain Valencia 80,000 San Mames Spain Bilbao 53,289 Nueva Condomina Spain Murcia 31,179 La Rosaleda Spain Malaga 30,044 La Romareda Spain Zaragoza 33,608 Balaídos Spain Vigo 29,000 Riazor Spain La Coruña 32,660 Estadio Gran Canaria Spain Las Palmas 32,392 Anoeta Stadium Spain San Sebastian 40,000 La Cartuja Spain Seville 60,721 El Molinón Spain Gijon 29,029 Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay: Which stadiums are potential venues?
The four countries have all confirmed which stadiums we are likely to see when they stage the first three games of the prestigious world-famed tournament.
Infantino confirmed the opening game will be staged at the Estadio Centenario in Uruguay, which has a maximum capacity of 60,000.
The stadium is set to make an iconic return to the competition as it was built in 1930 for the first-ever World Cup, while some iconic stadiums such as Boca Juniors’ 54,000-capacity La Bombonera failed to make the cut.
Each nation appeared at the 76th CONMEBOL Ordinary Congress as a video was presented showing all the potential venues that could be used.
Name Country City Capacity Antonio Vespucio Liberti Argentina Buenos Aires 83,000 Ciudad de La Plata Argentina La Plata 53,000 Mario Alberto Kempes Argentina Córdoba 57,000 Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades Argentina Santiago del Estero 30,000 Estadio Libertadores de América Argentina Avellaneda 48,000 Estadio Presidente Juan Domingo Perón Argentina Avellaneda 42,000 Malvinas Argentinas Argentina Mendoza 42,000 Nacional Julio Martínez Chile Santiago de Chile 48,000 Estadio Monumental David Arellano Chile Santiago de Chile 43,000 Ester Roa Rebolledo Chile Concepción 33,000 Estadio Conmebol Paraguay Luque 60,000 General Pablo Rojas Paraguay Asunción 45,000 Defensores del Chaco Paraguay Asunción 45,000 Antonio Aranda Paraguay Ciudad del Este 28,000 Estadio Villa Alegre Paraguay Encarnación 45,000 Estadio Centenario Uruguay Montevideo 60,000 Gran Parque Central Uruguay Montevideo 34,000 Estadio Campeón del Siglo Uruguay Montevideo 40,000