2030 World Cup: dates, countries, format, qualifying — what is confirmed

The established facts

• Host countries: Spain, Portugal and Morocco — chosen by acclamation at FIFA’s extraordinary Congress of 11 December 2024. It is the first World Cup played in six countries and across three continents.
• Centenary matches: three opening matches in Uruguay (Montevideo), Argentina (Buenos Aires) and Paraguay (Asunción), marking 100 years since the first edition (Uruguay 1930).
• Automatic qualifiers: the six host countries. FIFA confirmed this for the three South American countries as early as October 2023. They will still play the CONMEBOL qualifiers, for the standings and for a future intercontinental competition under discussion with UEFA.
• Format: 48 teams, as in 2026. A move to 64 teams is officially under study (an independent agency’s report is expected on 11 September 2026). Nothing has been voted through.

The dates (provisional)

FIFA has not published the full schedule. These are the dates carried by Sky Sports and Al Jazeera in July 2026:

Stage	Date
Centenary ceremony + 3 matches in South America	8–9 June 2030
Official opening ceremony	13 June 2030
First matches in Spain, Portugal and Morocco	13–14 June 2030
Final	Sunday 21 July 2030

What is not decided

• The final venue (Bernabéu, Camp Nou or Hassan II), the opening match, the semi-finals.
• The split of matches between the three countries.
• The definitive stadium list (FIFA approval expected late 2026 – early 2027).
• The number of teams (48 or 64) and therefore the number of matches (104 or 128).
• The draw, ticketing, the official emblem and the volunteer programme: no dates at all.

Qualifying, confederation by confederation

• CONCACAF — calendar published on 6 February 2026: first round in September–October 2027, final round in June 2028 and September–October 2029, play-off in November 2029. Up to seven qualifiers.
• CONMEBOL — qualifiers expected from September–October 2027 (the three hosts take part).
• UEFA — a new two-league format proposed on 20 May 2026 (League A: 36 nations in three groups of 12, “Swiss-style” draw; League B: three groups of 6). Approval announced for September 2026; 2030 would be the first edition affected.
• CAF, AFC, OFC — no format, quotas or dates announced as of 30 August 2026.

The allocation of places by confederation for 2030 has not been published; the 2026 breakdown (16 UEFA, 9 CAF, 8 AFC, 6 CONCACAF, 6 CONMEBOL, 1 OFC + 2 play-offs) does not automatically apply to 2030.

Who is organising it

There is no single organising committee. Three national bodies are working with FIFA: the Morocco 2030 Foundation (created by Law 35.25, based in Rabat, chaired in practice by Fouzi Lekjaa, appointed by the King in October 2023), the Spanish inter-ministerial commission (Royal Decree 99/2025 of 18 February 2025) and the Portuguese authorities. FIFA is opening a permanent office in Spain in autumn 2026.

On this site

Every official announcement is carried through to our stadium pages and news items, with its source and date. This guide is updated with each FIFA decision.