Six nations, two continents: everything confirmed about the 2030 and 2034 World Cups

FIFA has confirmed the hosts for the next two World Cups, with the 2030 edition spread across six nations on two continents and the 2034 tournament awarded solely to Saudi Arabia.

World Cup 2030: Six nations, two continents

The 2030 World Cup will be primarily staged across Spain, Portugal and Morocco, running from June 8 to July 21. The 48-team tournament will feature 104 matches in total — the largest edition of the competition ever staged.

Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will each host one opening match before the tournament shifts back across the Atlantic. FIFA devised the arrangement to mark the 100th anniversary of the very first World Cup, held in 1930. Each South American nation was chosen for a specific historical reason: Uruguay hosted and won the inaugural 1930 edition; Argentina were the runners-up; and Paraguay’s capital Asunción is the historic home of CONMEBOL, the only active continental confederation at the time of that first tournament.

All six nations received their hosting rights after the FIFA Council gave unanimous approval to the multi-continent concept. The decision was formally ratified by acclamation at an Extraordinary FIFA Congress on December 11, 2024.

Because of the tournament’s extreme geographical spread, the standard qualification calendar has been significantly adjusted. UEFA has announced an updated qualifying format that grants all six host nations automatic berths, which reduces the number of spots available to other competing nations.

World Cup 2034: Saudi Arabia confirmed as sole host

Saudi Arabia was officially confirmed by FIFA as the sole host of the 2034 World Cup. Earlier discussions had floated potential joint bids involving ASEAN nations, Australia and Uzbekistan, but Saudi Arabia ultimately emerged as the only candidate.

Unlike the multi-nation format of 2030, the 2034 tournament will be staged entirely within a single country. Saudi Arabia’s bid covers 15 proposed stadiums spread across five host cities: Riyadh, Jeddah, Al Khobar, Abha and the futuristic development of NEOM.