2030 World Cup awarded to Spain, Portugal and Morocco

[RaddyRed]

Despite the opening 3 game nonsense, I'm looking forward to Spain being a host (and Morocco and Portugal)

Getting a couple of week travelling around watching some games in the 3 countries during the summer months would be quality.

 

[adexkola]

This is just so FIFA can say it's the first World Cup hosted across 3 different continents. The automatic qualification should certainly help Paraguay and possibly Uruguay.

Uruguay would have qualified anyways, they're a top 6 nation in CONMEBOL

 

[Physiocrat]

I hate multi-country hosting. Cut it back to 32 teams and host it in one country.

 

[Ayoba]

Oh dear.

 

[Rooney in Paris]

Came here to post this. Spain, Portugal and Morocco make sense as they’re, at best, a couple hours flight.

But the emissions to go from South America to Europe/Africa or vice versa is absurd. Fifa should take climate change way more seriously.

Hosting it in Qatar showed they really, really didn't give a feck.

 

[The Corinthian]

Hosting it in Qatar showed they really, really didn't give a feck.

How so? Qatar is a small country - you could watch 2-3 games in one day using public transport. There wasn’t a lot of plane travel required other than getting into the country.

 

[Raoul]

2034 is for China most certainly

100% Saudi Arabia. The foundation of what they're doing in sport in the present is being laid for an eventual WC bid.

 

[90 + 5min]

Absolut nonsens.

Keep this way and football will be history in 10-15 years time. They are doing great job to achive that. Nobody will care because it will have no soul anymore. It is all about one thing.

 

[Sarni]

South America will just get 3 games, it’s symbolic more than anything. Fans will just have a slight chance of having to miss 1 game of their team.

Spain and Portugal are neighbors with good connections so travel won’t really be an issue, and Morocco is just across the sea.

 

[adexkola]

How so? Qatar is a small country - you could watch 2-3 games in one day using public transport. There wasn’t a lot of plane travel required other than getting into the country.

I know someone who enjoyed their time at the Qatar WC for precisely this reason; they could watch multiple games in a day without having to cross country for hours. I don't think you'll get that dynamic in any other country; even with Spain-Morocco-Portugal you're stuck with a specific city/day, despite the relative closeness.

 

[Sarni]

How so? Qatar is a small country - you could watch 2-3 games in one day using public transport. There wasn’t a lot of plane travel required other than getting into the country.

Nearly all stadiums were in one city from what I recall.

 

[adexkola]

Any concerns about Morocco sportswashing?

 

[Lay]

Sounds good to me.

 

[Stack]

feck FIFA, feck all those wanting super leagues
They only care about the money and not the game itself.

 

[TheGame]

Just curious, would they have the accommodation (both facilities and stadium wise) to host the current format of the WC on their own?

Sorry meant the joint bid.

 

[Bilbo]

At this point, I'm almost convinced that they are trying to ruin football

 

[MexicanCowboy]

FIFA are both very corrupt and incompetent. Brasil Argentina and Uruguay made more sense. But if they wanted an Iberian WC then It should have been only Iberian. This mix is absurd.

 

[moses]

At this point, I'm almost convinced that they are trying to ruin football

It's like the Spain Portugal Morocco bid made too much sense, so they added on some nonsense to make it seem like they are just incompetent and not just cnuts.

 

[jadajos]

Sneaky game in Morocco so then neither Africa, Europe, South America or North America can host 2034. Saudia Arabia and Gianni Infantino say: checkmate.

 

[moses]

FIFA are both very corrupt and incompetent. Brasil Argentina and Uruguay made more sense. But if they wanted an Iberian WC then It should have been only Iberian. This mix is absurd.

Morocco makes perfect sense as an add on to Iberia. Ticks so many boxes.

 

[Red Star One]

I don’t dislike and couldn’t care less about the three opening games across the ocean. Always great to have a WC in Europe - did they choose the stadium for the final yet?

 

[90 + 5min]

At this point, I'm almost convinced that they are trying to ruin football

Almost feels that way. Have they come with any good suggestion or decision past 20 years? Any at all?

 

[adexkola]

Sneaky game in Morocco so then neither Africa, Europe, South America or North America can host 2034. Saudia Arabia and Gianni Infantino say: checkmate.

South America should bid for 2034, it's bullshit that they can be eliminated from consideration because of 3 games marking the centennial of the World Cup. If that's the case why even agree to hosting just 3 games?

Ditto for Australia/New Zealand/Tonga

 

[Eric_the_Red99]

What the hell, six different countries hosting a match? They are taking this "world" cup thing a bit too literally.

Six times the countries = six times the bribery opportunities

 

[moses]

South America should bid for 2034, it's bullshit that they can be eliminated from consideration because of 3 games marking the centennial of the World Cup. If that's the case why even agree to hosting just 3 games?

Ditto for Australia/New Zealand/Tonga

Same why anyone agrees to anything where FIFA are concerned.

 

[MrMarcello]

Uruguay can't host a 48 teams world cup, not many countries can. So it's 3 games in South America and 61 in Iberian Peninsula + Morroco, distance between the host cities wont be a problem. Its closer from Lisbon to Rabat than Lisbon to Madrid.

Google says Madrid is about 60 air miles closer to Lisbon.

Nonetheless, I don't see an issue with this format.

 

[General_Elegancia]

I don’t dislike and couldn’t care less about the three opening games across the ocean. Always great to have a WC in Europe - did they choose the stadium for the final yet?

Bernabeu will be the stadium for final match.

They will be finished renovating with some superb technologies here.

 

[Sly]

Bet Ronaldo will try to play in this I kid

Good opportunity to upgrade our stadium. Although we lost Euro 2004 was a blast. Saw multiple games including France VS England. Hope I'm alive and well to catch some games in the world cup as well.

 

[Red Star One]

Bernabeu will be the stadium for final match.

They will be finished renovating with some superb technologies here.

It’s decided already? My internet is shit at the moment and Google fails me. A final at Bernabeu will be magical, not many better places to host it

 

[carvajal]

What great news, a World Cup in Spain again. I would love Coruña to host it but being three countries it seems more difficult and being sure Barcelona, Madrid and Sevilla, and something in Euskadi then I imagine that Valencia or Zaragoza have more options.
I also like the idea of games in South America.

 

[Sarni]

Bet Ronaldo will try to play in this I kid

Good opportunity to upgrade our stadium. Although we lost Euro 2004 was a blast. Saw multiple games including France VS England. Hope I'm alive and well to catch some games in the world cup as well.

I don't think it's even that outlandish. He will be 45.

 

[Alex99]

Bet Ronaldo will try to play in this I kid

Good opportunity to upgrade our stadium. Although we lost Euro 2004 was a blast. Saw multiple games including France VS England. Hope I'm alive and well to catch some games in the world cup as well.

45 year old Ronaldo, now manager of the Portuguese national team, makes the shock announcement that he's coming out of playing retirement and names himself in the squad as player/manager.

 

[RoyH1]

Six times the countries = six times the bribery opportunities

Another way to look at it is that since the six countries involved don't have the liquidity to bribe FIFA officials in the way an oil state can, they need to bribepool to get the job done. Infantino and his cohorts have their lifestyle to maintain, you know?

 

[FootballHQ]

When they said 2034 limited to member federations to Asia and Oceania, you can't help but feel that Saudi is nailed on.

Australia could bid again I guess given the success of Women's World cup but yeah Saudi going to get it unless China shows a serious interest.

As for 2030.....personally I'd love to have seen South America host the whole thing with the final in Centenario. This is basically worst decision possible as no way Spain-Portugal-Morocco have paid all this to host if SA gets the first game or one of the big SFs. And what's the point of them just hosting dead rubber games in the group stages?

Fifa being Fifa as usual. Think a special Copa America with 4-5 invited european teams would've worked better in 2029 or 2031.

 

[Krakenzero]

Astonishingly dumb decision for so many reasons.

First and foremost they royally fecked Chile as it becomes the only candidate not to host any game.

Second of all Conmebol gets fecked as they won't be considered as a host candidate for the upcoming versions due to 3 games in 2030 (at least they were gifted 3WC tickets, 2 of which were pretty much granted anyway), and nobody can really say they are hosting this one.

Third, six teams and their staff would have to travel 12 hours more than any of their rivals, not to mention that they'll have to plan for a different weather and/or look for different accomodations in location, infrastructure and quality.

Fourth, same as third but for the fans following said teams. The logistics and costs would become absurd.

Well, most of us will be either trying to get tickets or stuck to the TV anyway. We're used to this things at this point.

 

[rcoobc]

Can't Conmebol tell them to get fecked. 3 games. What an insult.

Football is primarily a game played in Europe and South America. There was a time when the World Cup went Europe -> SA -> Europe -> SA and repeat.

They won't get to host for another 20 years

 

[chris123]

Can't help but feel this is just a deliberate attempt to make the Saudi 2034 bid as easy as possible. Shameless.

 

[nickp91]

Spain might be a contender because of their young players which will probably be in their prime in 2030

 

[jadajos]

Can't help but feel this is just a deliberate attempt to make the Saudi 2034 bid as easy as possible. Shameless.

Saudi Arabia announced it will bid to host the 2034 World Cup just minutes after the world soccer's governing body FIFA invited countries from the Asia and Oceania regions to submit bids.

"Led by the Saudi Arabian Football Federation (SAFF), the bid for 2034 intends to deliver a world-class tournament and will draw inspiration from Saudi Arabia's ongoing social and economic transformation and the country's deep-rooted passion for football," Saudi FA said in a statement.

Saudi Arabia’s inaugural FIFA World Cup bid is backed by the country’s growing experience of hosting world-class football events and its ongoing plans to welcome fans across the world to the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup and 2027 AFC Asian Cup."

The Saudi announcement came shortly after FIFA named Morocco, Spain and Portugal as hosts of the 2030 World Cup, with Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay hosting the opening matches to mark the tournament's centenary.

https://www.reuters.com/sports/socc...-world-cup-2034-state-news-agency-2023-10-04/

P. S. I won’t be watching, just like I didn’t watch Qatar. Thankfully, we all have a choice.

 

[Camara]

Few matches should be played in Saudi Arabia because........................ feck you all.

That is exactly the goal of this stupid decision. By having North America host in 2026 and South America, Europe and Africa host in 2030, then it guarantees 2034 is in Asia and guess who is the most focused on getting the World Cup...