FIFA to Host 2030 World Cup on Three Continents

Facts

• On Wednesday, FIFA's governing council announced that the 2030 soccer World Cup will be held in six countries on three continents to mark the tournament's centenary.¹
• The combined bid of Morocco, Portugal, and Spain was unanimously agreed as the sole candidacy to host the event. The centenary celebration ceremony will be held in Montevideo to pay homage to the inaugural World Cup hosted and won by Uruguay in 1930.²
• While Argentina and Spain have previously hosted the World Cup — in 1978 and 1982, respectively — Uruguay, Morocco, Paraguay, and Portugal will be first-time hosts.³
• This decision must be ratified next year at a congress of FIFA's 211 member associations, but the consent is considered a formality. The six host nations will qualify automatically for the tournament scheduled for June-July 2030.⁴
• Climate groups have criticized the proposal for the World Cup to be played over thousands of miles, claiming the plans for the 'tournament will mean more emissions, more flights, and more climate damages.'⁵
• Meanwhile, FIFA also confirmed that only bids from the Asian Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation will be considered for the 2034 World Cup, which has prompted Saudi Arabia to announce it will bid to host the competition for the first time.⁶

Sources: ¹New York Times, ²Al Jazeera, ³Associated Press, ⁴CBS, ⁵Guardian and ⁶BBC News.

Narratives

• Narrative A, as provided by Mundo deportivo usa. This innovative and audacious decision is groundbreaking and will appropriately mark the 100th anniversary of the FIFA World Cup by creating a unique hosting agreement to celebrate soccer's rich heritage and global unity. FIFA must be praised for putting forward a visionary arrangement that will prevent a prolonged and costly bidding process.
• Narrative B, as provided by Daily mail. Given that scandals have long marred FIFA, one can only speculate why the governing body has taken such an illogical decision that adds to its ongoing cycle of destruction against the World Cup. Supporters and players will not only have to travel up to 12K miles and spend a small fortune, this proposal will dampen the atmosphere usually found in single-nation tournaments.

Predictions