The 2034 Men’s Football World Cup will take place in Saudi Arabia, while Spain, Portugal, and Morocco will jointly host the 2030 tournament, FIFA has confirmed.
To celebrate the 100th anniversary of the World Cup, three matches of the 2030 tournament will also be played in Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay.
These host selections were confirmed during FIFA’s Extraordinary Congress meeting on Wednesday, following a vote. All 211 FIFA member nations took part in the meeting via video link.
The decisions for both World Cups, as well as the 2030 centenary celebrations, were made through two separate votes. The first vote chose Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina as the hosts for the centenary matches, while the second vote confirmed Spain, Portugal, and Morocco as hosts for 2030, with Saudi Arabia awarded the 2034 tournament.
Votes were given by “acclamation,” with delegates clapping in front of their cameras. FIFA’s secretary general, Mattias Grafstrom, stated that all 211 member associations had effectively cast their votes before the congress.
The English Football Association (FA), supported by the Scottish and Welsh FAs, expressed its backing for both bids after receiving assurances that fans would be safe and welcomed at a Saudi World Cup. The FA said: “After carefully reviewing both proposals, we supported the bids from Spain/Portugal/Morocco for 2030 and Saudi Arabia for 2034. Both bids meet FIFA’s criteria to host the tournament. Our focus is on ensuring our fans can attend and enjoy the events.”
Norway chose to abstain from voting due to “concerns about the current FIFA World Cup bidding process,” not because of Saudi Arabia being selected as a host. Switzerland’s football association also asked for its concerns to be noted in the congress minutes. On Tuesday, the Swiss FA had said it would approve Saudi Arabia’s 2034 bid, but insisted that human rights must be monitored by both FIFA and the International Labour Organisation.
The Danish Football Union (DBU) supported both World Cup bids but called for FIFA to oversee improvements in human rights. DBU chairman Jesper Moller stated: “We would have preferred to see more bids for both the 2030 and 2034 tournaments, and we are critical of the overall process.”
Saudi Arabia has been accused of “sportswashing” in recent years, using its significant spending on sports to improve its global image, despite concerns over its human rights record and environmental impact.
Of the 15 stadiums planned for the 2034 World Cup, four have been completed so far.
