Zurich October 4 2023: Following extensive consultation with all confederations and given the importance of marking the centenary of the FIFA World Cup™, the FIFA Council took key decisions in relation to the bidding and hosting of the Centenary edition of the FIFA World Cup in 2030 during its meeting held by videoconference from the Home of FIFA.
In 2030, the FIFA World Cup will unite three continents and six countries, inviting the entire world to join in the celebration of the beautiful game, the Centenary and the FIFA World Cup itself.
The FIFA Council unanimously agreed that the sole candidacy will be the combined bid of Morocco, Portugal, and Spain, which will host the event in 2030 and qualify automatically from the existing slot allocation subject to the completion of a successful bidding process conducted by FIFA and a decision by the FIFA Congress in 2024. Additionally, having taken into account the historical context of the first-ever FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Council further unanimously agreed to host a unique centenary celebration ceremony in Uruguay’s capital, Montevideo, where the first ever FIFA World Cup took place in 1930, as well as three World Cup matches in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay respectively.
“In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting,” said FIFA President Gianni Infantino. “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. As a result, a celebration will take place in South America and three South American countries – Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay – will organise one match each of the FIFA World Cup 2030. The first of these three matches will of course be played at the stadium where it all began, in Montevideo’s mythical Estádio Centenário, precisely to celebrate the centenary edition of the FIFA World Cup.”
“The FIFA Council also agreed unanimously that the only bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2030 will be the joint bid of Morocco, Portugal and Spain,” the FIFA President added. “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.
“In 2030, we will have a unique global footprint, three continents – Africa, Europe and South America – six countries – Argentina, Morocco, Paraguay, Portugal, Spain and Uruguay – welcoming and uniting the world while celebrating together the beautiful game, the centenary and the FIFA World Cup,” the FIFA President concluded. 2
Launch of the bidding process for the FIFA World Cup 2034™
It was also agreed that in line with the principle of confederation rotation and of securing the best possible hosting conditions for the tournaments, the bidding processes for both the 2030 and 2034 editions be conducted concurrently, with FIFA member associations from the territories of the AFC and the OFC invited to bid to host the FIFA World Cup 2034™. The minimum hosting requirements, as previously approved by the FIFA Council on 23 June 2023 in respect of the FIFA World Cup 2030, will also form the basis of this bidding process, with the hosts to be appointed in a separate FIFA Congress. The FIFA Council approved the Bidding Regulations for both editions of the FIFA World Cup. Additional information is available in the Overview of the Bidding Processes document.
U-17 national teams from Russia suspension lifted
Following the decision of the UEFA Executive Committee on 26 September 2023 to once again allow the participation of Russian representative youth teams at U-17 girls and boys level, the FIFA Council approved an extension of this decision to the FIFA U-17 World Cup and FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup for which UEFA’s competitions serve as a qualification pathway, thus lifting the suspension on teams from Russia taking part in these tournaments. This is conditional on these teams playing under the name of the “Football Union of Russia” rather than “Russia”, in the absence of their national flag, their national anthem, their national-team kit and equipment, and instead playing in neutral colours. The FIFA Council reiterated its condemnation of Russia’s illegal war in Ukraine and confirmed that the remaining terms of the decision made on 28 February 2022 remain in force until the end of the conflict.
Launch of FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup™
The FIFA Council confirmed that the inaugural edition of the FIFA Futsal Women’s World Cup™ will take place in 2025 as a stand-alone tournament with 16 participating teams. The respective slot allocation will be as follows: AFC: 3; CAF: 2; Concacaf: 2; CONMEBOL: 3; OFC: 1; UEFA: 4; host country: 1. Details on the tournament dates and host country will follow in due course.
Updates on FIFA competitions
It was also confirmed that the FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Colombia 2024™ will be enlarged from 16 to 24 teams and take place from 31 August to 22 September 2024. The approved slot allocation will be as follows: AFC: 4; CAF: 4; Concacaf: 4; CONMEBOL: 4; OFC: 2; UEFA: 5; host country (Colombia): 1. The FIFA Council also confirmed that the FIFA U-17 Women’s World Cup Dominican Republic 2024™ will take place from 16 October to 3 November 2024 and the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Seychelles 2025™ from 1 to 11 May 2025.
