The attention of the football world is now focused on the 2030 World Cup, which will span three continents.
Modern.az reports that the International Federation of Association Football (FIFA), in line with the 48-team format applied in the World Cup, is preparing to make history with the 2030 championship, coinciding with the tournament's 100th anniversary, and its organizational structure spread across 6 countries and 3 continents.
The 24th World Championship to be held in 2030 will be one of the most unusual competitions to date, due to the tournament's 100th anniversary.
From June 8 to July 21, 2030, the World Cup will be held in Spain, Portugal, Morocco, Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay, marking the first time in its history that it will be held across 3 continents and 6 countries.
The national teams of the 6 host countries will qualify directly for the tournament without playing qualifying matches.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will kick off with three opening matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay to celebrate the tournament's 100th anniversary.
Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will play their first group matches in their home countries, in front of their fans.
The Centenario Stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay, which hosted the first FIFA World Cup in 1930, will be the center of events celebrating the tournament's 100th anniversary. This stadium will also host a special opening match.
One opening match is planned to be held at the "Monumental" stadium in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and another at the "Osvaldo Dominguez Dibb" stadium in Asunción, Paraguay.
Later, on June 13-14, 2030, the official opening ceremony will be held in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, along with the main group matches.
Spain and Morocco are competing to host the final of the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Although the stadiums where the tournament matches will be held have not yet been announced by FIFA, the venue for the final has not been officially determined due to the rivalry between Morocco and Spain.
On the Spanish side, the renovated "Santiago Bernabéu" stadium is considered the strongest candidate to host the 2030 World Cup final.
The "Grand Stade Hassan II" stadium, with a capacity of 115,000 spectators, currently under construction in Casablanca, Morocco, is the strongest rival to the "Santiago Bernabéu" for organizing the final.
Although the host countries have identified their candidate stadiums, there is a possibility of changes in some cities and stadiums, especially in Spain.
Therefore, while the stadiums announced so far are the main candidates for the tournament, the final list will be finalized after official confirmation from FIFA.
To celebrate the tournament's 100th anniversary, the number of teams could be increased from 48 to 64.
FIFA President Gianni Infantino, after evaluating the 2026 World Cup as a great success, considered the possibility of increasing the number of participating teams to 64 in the 2030 World Cup.
Infantino defended his dream of a 64-team tournament, saying: "If you don't give smaller countries a chance to participate, their motivation to continue developing themselves decreases."
Alejandro Dominguez, president of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), also supported this proposal, calling the new regulation an "excellent opportunity." However, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and Asian Football Confederation President Sheikh Salman bin Ibrahim Al-Khalifa opposed the proposal. Both leaders considered the idea of a 64-team World Cup a "bad idea" both in terms of tournament organization and the qualification system.
