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The international football organization FIFA announced that the 2030 FIFA World Cup will be hosted by Morocco, Portugal and Spain, and the first three matches will be held in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to mark the 100th anniversary of the tournament (the first World Cup was held in Uruguay).

The decision announced on Wednesday means that the World Cup will be held in six different countries on three continents.

"The FIFA Council has unanimously agreed that the only candidate will be a joint bid by Morocco, Portugal and Spain, which will host the event in 2030," FIFA said in a statement.

"In a divided world, FIFA and football are coming together. The FIFA Council, representing the entire world of football, has unanimously agreed to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup, first held in Uruguay in 1930, in the most appropriate way. As a result, the celebration will take place in South America and three South American countries — Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay — will organize one match of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. The first of these three matches, of course, will be played at the stadium where it all started — Centenario in Montevideo."

"We will have a unique global presence. Three continents — Africa, Europe and South America and six countries — Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay, welcoming and uniting the world, will together celebrate the 100th anniversary of the wonderful game and the World Cup," said Gianni Infantino.

Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia has announced its intention to apply to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup, the state-run SPA news agency reported on Wednesday.

The kingdom "intends to host a world-class tournament and will draw inspiration from Saudi Arabia's ongoing social and economic transformation and the country's deep-rooted passion for football," the Saudi Football Federation said in a statement.

FIFA also announced that applications for the 2034 World Cup will be limited to Asia and Oceania due to Wednesday's decision and the 2026 tournament for Canada, Mexico and the United States.

In addition to Saudi Arabia, another likely contender is Australia, which co-hosted the Women's World Cup with New Zealand this year.

ORIENT news

Photo: Reuters