FIFA announces three-continent host sites for 2030 World Cup and 100th anniversary

The 2030 World Cup is going big and going home for the tournament's 100th anniversary.

FIFA announced on Wednesday that the World Cup will be played in three continents — and six countries — for the first time. The joint bid proposed by Morocco, Portugal and Spain is the lone candidate to host the men's tournament. In March, the African country joined the European nations for the bid and will be the first from North Africa to host the tournament.

The first three games of the 2030 World Cup will be played across the Atlantic Ocean in the South American countries of Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay, along with a ceremony in Uruguay to commemorate 100 years since the first World Cup. The inaugural tournament was played in Uruguay in 1930 when the host nation defeated rival Argentina for the title. The opening match will be played at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo. The stadium was built specifically for the first World Cup and named in honor of the 100th anniversary of the Uruguayan constitution.

“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," FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement.

“In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting. The FIFA Council, representing the entire world of football, unanimously agreed to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup, whose first edition was played in Uruguay in 1930, in the most appropriate way.”

"I believe that for all of South America, especially my country, the fact that we have reached this historic achievement transcends the limits of the sport" Ignacio Alonso, president of the Asociación Uruguaya de Fútbol, said in Spanish while addressing reporters on Wednesday. "Football is the trademark of our countries and the trademark of our continent."

All six host nations will get an automatic bid in the tournament.

The South American countries had placed a separate bid with Chile to host the event.

FIFA said that, per its guidelines rotating host sites, it is welcoming bids from governing bodies in the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation for the 2034 World Cup. On Wednesday, Saudi Arabia said that it intends to put in a bid to host the event. The country is already hosting the 2027 AFC Asian Cup.

"The entire Asian football family will stand united in support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s momentous initiative, and we are committed to working closely with the global football family to ensure its success," AFC President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa said in a statement.

The 2022 World Cup was hosted in Qatar where Lionel Messi won his first title with Argentina.

The 2026 tournament will be played between the United States, Mexico and Canada.