Spain, Portugal and Morocco set to co-host 2030 men’s Fifa World Cup

Spain, Portugal and Morocco are set to co-host the 2030 men’s Fifa World Cup – with three South American nations hosting the tournament's opening matches to celebrate its centenary.

Montevideo, the capital of Uruguay and host city of the first ever World Cup finals match in 1930, is set to stage the opening game of the tournament, with further home ties for Argentina and Paraguay to follow.

All six host countries will receive automatic qualification and the arrangement will see the tournament held across three continents for the first time.

The remainder of the 48-team competition will switch to north Africa and Europe, under a plan announced by Uefa, the Confederation of African Football and South American confederation Conmebol, which was accepted by the Fifa council at a meeting in Paraguay on Wednesday. The proposal is now subject to formal ratification by Fifa’s congress.

Meanwhile, within hours of the 2030 hosting arrangements being announced, Saudi Arabia launched its own bid to secure 2034 hosting rights.

With the 2026 finals heading to the United States, Canada and Mexico and this latest tournament award, it was confirmed by Fifa that only bids from the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation will be considered for 2034.

Saudi Minister of Sport, Prince Abdulaziz bin Turki Al Faisal, said in a statement issued by the Saudi Press Agency: “Hosting a FIFA World Cup in 2034 would help us achieve our dream of becoming a leading nation in world sport and would mark a significant milestone in the country’s transformation.

“As an emerging and welcoming home for all sports, we believe that hosting a FIFA World Cup is a natural next step in our football journey.”

Uruguay has long been thought of