World Cup 2030 will be staged across six co-hosts, with FIFA confirming a split format that sends the tournament to Europe and North Africa after three centenary matches in South America. The unusual setup links the event to the 1930 World Cup, which was played in Uruguay and won by Uruguay over Argentina.
The six host countries for World Cup 2030 are Argentina, Paraguay, Uruguay, Spain, Morocco and Portugal. That means the opening stretch will be spread across two regions, with three South American teams each getting one match as part of a special exception to the normal qualification process.
How the 2030 schedule will work
FIFA said in March 2026 that the three South American matches would be brought forward before the official opening matches. Those centenary games are set for Saturday 8th and Sunday 9th June, 2030. The first European or North African games will follow on Thursday 13th and Friday 14th June.
The South American hosts will not just be opening the tournament. Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay each receive one match, and those games will be played before the rest of the competition begins in Europe and North Africa. The remaining South American group teams will play on Saturday 15th and Sunday 16th June, with the second round of matches in that group coming the following weekend in June 2030.
That staggered schedule is designed to create extra travel and rest time for the teams involved. FIFA said the intended plan will provide approximately 11 to 12 days for travel and rest before the second game of the six teams playing in South America, and approximately five to six days for travel and rest for the remaining six group opponents and all other participating teams.
What it means for World Cup 2030
The 2030 tournament is already notable because it sits between two major expansion conversations. World Cup 2026 will be the first edition with 48 teams, and FIFA has discussed a possible move to 64 teams by 2030. Against that backdrop, Gianni Infantino has pushed the idea that the World Cup should remain global in scope.
As Infantino put it, when you organise a World Cup, it is important that you organise it for the whole world. He also said it is not just Europe and South America, but the entire world, effectively, and added that every nation should be able to dream of taking part in the World Cup.
FIFA has also argued that higher participation can help raise standards further. Infantino said the quality of the teams is extremely high and getting higher and higher everywhere in the world, and that smaller countries also need the incentive to keep improving if they are given a real path into the tournament.
For now, though, the main answer to the question Where is the next World Cup 2030? is simple: it will be split between South America, Europe and North Africa, with the centenary matches beginning in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay before the rest of the World Cup moves to Spain, Morocco and Portugal.
