This handout photograph taken and released by FIFA on October 20, 2021 shows FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaking during a Council meeting at the Home of FIFA in Zurich FILE - FIFA President Gianni Infantino speaking during a Council meeting at the Home of FIFA in Zurich. Photo: Harold Cunningham/FIFA/AFP
Image: Harold Cunningham/FIFA/AFP
World football governing body FIFA on Wednesday confirmed the host countries for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups.
The 2030 edition of the tournament, for the first time, will be played across three continents, with games being played in Morocco, Spain and Portugal, which have won co-hosting rights. It will be the second time that the World Cup will be taking place in Africa after South Africa 2010.
Additionally, games will also be played in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to mark the 100th anniversary of the first-ever competition in Uruguay in 1930.
Furthermore, the 2034 World Cup will be returning to the Middle East for the second time after the 2022 tournament was held in Qatar. Saudi Arabia, the sole candidate, was rubber-stamped as the 2034 hosts at a virtual FIFA Congress.
"It is a proud day, a day of celebration, a day that we invite the entire world to Saudi Arabia," said Abdulaziz bin Turki bin Faisal al Saud, the Saudi Minister of Sports.
"We intend to have an extraordinary version of the World Cup in our kingdom."
The awarding of the 2034 tournament to Saudi Arabia has already been criticised by several organisations.
According to Amnesty International and 20 other bodies, FIFA's decision to award the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia puts the lives of construction workers at risk and "marks a moment of great danger".
"As global and regional human rights organisations, trade unions, fans groups and organisations representing migrant workers, many of us have long highlighted the severe risks posed by Saudi Arabia’s hosting of mega-sporting events," the groups said.
"By awarding the 2034 World Cup to Saudi Arabia without meaningful protections, FIFA has today decided both to ignore our warnings and discard its own human rights policies."
The next edition of the tournament will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026. Next year's Club World Cup, which South Africa's Mamelodi Sundowns will feature in, will be used as an event to test the United's States' readiness for 2026.
IOL Sport, additional reporting by AFP