- Will be hosted primarily in Spain, Portugal and Morocco
- Games to be held in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay
- Will be the longest ever tournament
WHAT HAPPENED? After FIFA announced the host nations of the 2030 World Cup, preliminary dates for the tournament were also drawn up. As per Marca, the opening games, set to be held in South America to mark the 100th year since the first tournament, will likely take place on June 8/9 with the final, which is likely to be held at the iconic Santiago Bernabeu, taking place on July 21.
WHY WILL IT BE THE LONGEST EVER EDITION? Should the outlined dates come to fruition, there'll be 45 days between the opening game and the showpiece final, therefore making the 2030 edition the longest ever tournament. For context, there were 28 days between opener and final in last year's tournament and 31 days between the two games in 2018.
IN A PHOTO:
Getty ImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE: It'll be the first time the World Cup truly spreads worldwide in terms of where games are played as Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay will host a game each at the beginning of the tournament. The 1930 World Cup was held in Uruguay with the hosts coming out victorious in the end and this decision has been made in order to celebrate the centenary.
WHAT'S NEXT FOR THE WORLD CUP: While the host nations for 2030 have been decided, the next decision is who will host the 2034 edition with Saudi Arabia throwing its hat in the ring.