By Crystal Ugoeze
With the 2026 FIFA World Cup concluded, attention is already shifting to the next edition of football’s biggest tournament, which will be staged in 2030 across three continents.
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be jointly hosted by Spain, Portugal and Morocco, while Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each stage one opening match to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the inaugural World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930.
The tournament is scheduled to begin on June 8, 2030, with centenary celebrations and opening fixtures in South America before the main competition moves to Europe and Africa a few days later.
The 2030 edition will become the second consecutive World Cup to be hosted by three countries, following the 2026 tournament jointly staged by the United States, Canada and Mexico. All six host nations have automatically qualified for the competition.
Although FIFA expanded the World Cup from 32 to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament, discussions are ongoing over a proposal to further increase the number of participating teams to 64 in 2030. No final decision has been announced.
Host cities and stadiums are yet to be officially confirmed. However, the proposed venues include 11 stadiums in Spain, six in Morocco and three in Portugal. Madrid, Barcelona and Lisbon are among the cities expected to host multiple matches.
Looking beyond 2030, Saudi Arabia has been confirmed as the host of the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
Meanwhile, the next FIFA Women’s World Cup will take place in Brazil in 2027, marking the first time the South American nation will host the women’s global football tournament.