FIFA has sent a message of strength and unity after the historic awarding of hosting rights for the 2030 and 2034 editions of the FIFA World Cup, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said, underlining that the decisions were taken by consensus – a rarity in a divided world. At the Extraordinary FIFA Congress held virtually from Zurich, Switzerland, and attended by the 211 FIFA Member Associations, Morocco, Portugal and Spain were appointed as the hosts of the FIFA World Cup 2030™, preceded by three centenary celebration matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, while Saudi Arabia was selected to stage the FIFA World Cup 2034™. “These are game-changers for the entire world and the most important (part) of it is that all these decisions on the hosts of the (FIFA) World Cup have been taken by consensus, by agreement, by compromise between everyone,” Mr Infantino said.

With the FIFA World Cup 26™ to be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States, five confederations – and ten FIFA Member Associations – will have a chance to host the tournament between 2026 and 2034. “We go from North America in 2026 to South America in 2030, then to Africa and Europe, still in 2030, and then to Asia in 2034,” continued the FIFA President. “A great message of unity, a message of strength, a message of the solidity of FIFA, of the football community; this is history at its best and the history books will definitely have a few pages of this beautiful chapter for FIFA, for football, for unity and for humanity. “The 211 FIFA Member Associations – the FIFA countries – have written an incredible page of history of not only football but, also, society in a divided world. In a world where it seems that nobody can any more agree on anything, we have managed to agree on something as big as the host of the (FIFA) World Cup, of two (FIFA) World Cups, the celebration (FIFA) World Cup in 2030 and the (FIFA) World Cup in 2034.”

The FIFA President emphasised the importance of marking the centenary of the FIFA World Cup, which was first played in Uruguay in 1930 with 13 teams representing three continents. “The 2030 (FIFA) World Cup is an incredible celebration of football with the kick-off of three (centenary celebration) matches in South America and then moving to two continents, two continents which represented and represent so much for football: Europe and Africa. Morocco, Spain and Portugal: what message of unity, what message of significance this is for all the people moving ahead,” he said.

“The first match of the (FIFA) World Cup 2030, the (FIFA) Centenary World Cup, the 100-year World Cup, is going to be played precisely at the Estadio Centenario, where the first (FIFA) World Cup final was played which Uruguay won, of course, against Argentina.”

That will be followed by another new experience in Saudi Arabia, a country that the FIFA President acknowledged was opening up to the world. “The FIFA World Cup will definitely be a catalyst there, as well, for social improvements and social change. And we'll work, all together, to open up (the country) even more to the world and to make sure that the world sees Saudi Arabia, that they witness the welcoming elements of Saudi Arabia: the nature, the culture, the food. Everything, that not just football fans love, but everyone in the world.”