2030 FIFA World Cup
The 2030 FIFA World Cup is gearing up to be a truly historic and unprecedented event, spanning across three continents to celebrate a century of football's most prestigious international tournament. For the first time ever, the competition will unite nations across the Mediterranean, alongside special centenary matches in South America, creating a sprawling global spectacle. This ambitious, multi-continental endeavor also faces unique complexities and controversies, making its journey to kickoff a story of both grand celebration and intense debate. The 2030 FIFA World Cup will uniquely span six countries on three continents, marking a historic centenary celebration of the tournament. Special commemorative matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will honor the 1930 origins of the World Cup, linking its past to the present. The expansive and multi-continental hosting plan has ignited debates, including concerns over bidding fairness, ethical considerations, and local social impacts in host nations.
AI Summary
The 2030 FIFA World Cup is gearing up to be a truly historic and unprecedented event, spanning across three continents to celebrate a century of football's most prestigious international tournament. For the first time ever, the competition will unite nations across the Mediterranean, alongside special centenary matches in South America, creating a sprawling global spectacle. This ambitious, multi-continental endeavor also faces unique complexities and controversies, making its journey to kickoff a story of both grand celebration and intense debate.
- The 2030 FIFA World Cup will uniquely span six countries on three continents, marking a historic centenary celebration of the tournament.
- Special commemorative matches in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will honor the 1930 origins of the World Cup, linking its past to the present.
- The expansive and multi-continental hosting plan has ignited debates, including concerns over bidding fairness, ethical considerations, and local social impacts in host nations.
A Global Celebration: The 2030 FIFA World Cup
Prepare for the 24th installment of the FIFA World Cup—a quadrennial festival of international football where men's national teams battle for glory. But the 2030 edition promises to be unlike any before it, pushing the boundaries of what a single tournament can encompass.
A Continent-Spanning Host
For the first time, the World Cup will be primarily hosted by three nations: Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. This groundbreaking arrangement will see matches played across the Mediterranean Sea, uniting North Africa and Europe in a shared celebration of the beautiful game. It's a logistical marvel and a cultural bridge.
Honoring a Century of Football History
What makes 2030 truly special is its nod to history. The tournament marks the 100th anniversary of the very first FIFA World Cup, held in 1930. To commemorate this milestone, a special centennial celebration and match will take place at the iconic Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay—the original host stadium of the 1930 final. Additional celebratory matches will also be played in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Asunción, Paraguay, linking the tournament back to its South American roots.
This widespread hosting means a host of 'firsts' and 'returns'. It will be the first World Cup ever held in North Africa, and the first time the tournament spans more than one confederation. It will also be the first time Morocco, Paraguay, and Portugal host, while Uruguay welcomes the Cup back after a century, Argentina since 1978, and Spain since 1982.
The Road to Hosting: Rules and Decisions
FIFA officially launched the bidding process for the 2030 World Cup in 2022. Due to strict rotation rules, countries from confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments were ineligible to bid for 2030. This meant that members of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC), which hosted in 2022 (Qatar), and CONCACAF, which will host in 2026 (United States, Canada, and Mexico), were unable to submit bids.
The initial bid saw Portugal and Spain announce a joint intention in 2020. Ukraine briefly joined their proposal in October 2022, but that part of the bid was soon sidelined following an embezzlement arrest. Morocco, having unsuccessfully bid five previous times, then joined the Iberian nations in March 2023, forming the winning cross-continental partnership.
Ultimately, on December 11, 2024, FIFA made its official announcement. The joint bid from Morocco, Portugal, and Spain was confirmed as the host for the 2030 World Cup. This decision was made during an Extraordinary FIFA Congress meeting, which also notably awarded the 2034 tournament to Saudi Arabia.
A Proposed Expansion: Too Many Teams?
CONMEBOL, South America's football confederation, announced in July 2026 that the 2030 tournament would feature an expanded 64 teams to honor the centennial anniversary. While FIFA President Gianni Infantino had previously stated he would consider such an expansion, FIFA has not officially confirmed this move. Critics immediately voiced concerns, claiming that increasing the number of qualified teams to 64 would devalue the qualification process and reduce the overall quality of competition during the main event.
Stadiums and Cities: The Grand Stage
The host nations have proposed an impressive array of venues to accommodate the global spectacle. The final count reveals six stadiums in six Moroccan cities, three in two Portuguese cities, and eleven in nine Spanish cities—totaling twenty stadiums across seventeen vibrant cities. A total of twenty-three different venues remain under consideration for hosting matches.
Venue Challenges and Changes
Even with meticulous planning, the journey to finalizing host cities has not been without its bumps. In April 2025, some residents of San Sebastián expressed concerns about overtourism and requested to be removed as a host city. Later, Málaga officially withdrew in July 2025 due to logistical challenges regarding stadium renovations for La Rosaleda. Further complications arose in March 2026 when A Coruña also withdrew, citing the prohibitive costs of hosting.
To fill these gaps, the Royal Spanish Football Federation then resubmitted bids for Nou Mestalla in Valencia and Estadio de Balaídos in Vigo. These venues had initially been turned down by FIFA to keep the total stadium count under the twenty-stadium limit, but their reintroduction was a necessary adjustment.
Confirmed Host Stadiums in Morocco, Portugal, and Spain
Country City Stadium Capacity Morocco Agadir Adrar Stadium 46,000 (after renovation) Morocco Casablanca Hassan II Stadium 115,000 (new) Morocco Fez Fez Stadium 55,800 (after renovation) Morocco Marrakesh Marrakesh Stadium 45,860 (after renovation) Morocco Rabat Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium 69,500 (new) Morocco Tangier Tangier Grand Stadium 75,500 (after renovation) Portugal Lisbon Estádio da Luz 68,100 Portugal Lisbon Estádio José Alvalade 52,095 Portugal Porto Estádio do Dragão 50,033 Spain Barcelona Camp Nou 105,000 (after renovation) Spain Barcelona RCDE Stadium 40,500 Spain Bilbao Estadio de San Mamés 53,331 Spain Las Palmas Estadio de Gran Canaria 44,500 (after renovation) Spain Madrid Bernabéu 83,186 Spain Madrid Estadio Metropolitano 70,692 Spain San Sebastián Estadio de Anoeta 42,300 Spain Seville Estadio de La Cartuja 70,000 (after renovation) Spain Valencia Nou Mestalla 70,044 (new) Spain Vigo Estadio de Balaídos 44,000 (after renovation) Spain Zaragoza Estadio Nueva Romareda 43,110 (new)
The Centennial Match Stadiums
And of course, we cannot forget the three pivotal South American cities selected to host the historic centenary matches, bringing the tournament full circle to its origins:
Country City Stadium Capacity Argentina Buenos Aires Estadio Monumental 100,000 (after renovation) Paraguay Asunción Estadio Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb 46,000 (new) Uruguay Montevideo Estadio Centenario 62,782 (after renovation)
Behind the Scenes: Teams and Qualification
As host nations, Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay all automatically qualify for the tournament. Notably, Spain becomes the first-ever defending champion to host the tournament, having won their second World Cup in 2026. For the remaining teams, the road to qualification is a rigorous one, testing the mettle of national teams across every confederation.
New Qualification Journey for CONCACAF
The CONCACAF confederation announced a new qualifying format for 2030. Round 1 will see the 22 teams ranked 14–35 play home-and-away matchups, with 11 winners advancing. These matches are scheduled for the first half of the September–October 2027 international window.
In Round 2, the top 13 ranked CONCACAF associations will join the 11 Round 1 winners to form six groups of four. Teams will play each other home-and-away, and the top two from each group will advance to the final round. Round 2 is set to begin in late 2027 and conclude in March 2028.
The final round will see the 12 teams from Round 2 divided into three groups of four, playing home-and-away. The top two teams in each group will automatically qualify for the World Cup. The two best third-placed finishers will then qualify for the Play-in matches. This round will span June 2028 and the September–October 2029 international window.
The Play-in round consists of two teams playing a home-and-away series in November 2029, with the aggregate winner moving on to the FIFA Intercontinental Play-offs. These changes aim to intensify competition and offer more pathways to the global stage.
New Qualification Journey for UEFA
UEFA also announced a new, two-tier qualification format for 2030, mirroring the Champions League and Nations League to eliminate uncompetitive games. The 36 highest-ranked countries, based on the 2028–29 Nations League, will be drawn into three groups of 12 in League 1. These teams will play six games against six different opponents and be ranked in a 12-team league table.
The best-ranked teams from each group of League 1 will directly qualify for the World Cup. The remaining 18 lower-ranked countries will compete in League 2, split into three groups. More details on the allocation of remaining spots via play-offs, involving teams from both Leagues, are expected in late 2026 or early 2027.
Bringing the Games Home: Broadcasters
Ensuring the global reach of the World Cup, numerous broadcasters worldwide have secured rights to bring every moment of the action to fans. From Australia to Thailand, millions will tune in:
Region/Country Broadcaster Australia SBS Brazil Grupo Globo China CCTV Croatia HRT Czech Republic ČT Czech Republic TV Nova Europe EBU (European Broadcasting Union) France M6 Germany Magenta Sport India Zee Ireland RTÉ Netherlands NOS New Zealand TVNZ Romania Antena Slovakia TV JOJ South Korea JTBC Thailand MONOMAX Sports United Kingdom BBC United Kingdom ITV
Controversies and Challenges
Manipulation of Spanish Venues
The host selection process for Spanish venues sparked controversy when reports emerged in March 2025. The Royal Spanish Football Federation was accused of manipulating classification scores to exclude Estadio de Balaídos in Vigo and instead include Estadio de Anoeta in San Sebastián, raising questions about fairness and transparency.
The 2034 Bid Connection
The choice of 2030 hosts stirred a notable controversy concerning the 2034 World Cup bid. FIFA's continental rotation system, which prevents countries from confederations that recently hosted from bidding again, effectively made CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, UEFA, and CAF all ineligible for 2034. This left only the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and the Oceania Football Confederation (OFC) as potential bidders.
Critics widely accused FIFA of strategically selecting Morocco, Portugal, and Spain—along with the South American centenary hosts—to effectively clear the path for Saudi Arabia, an AFC member, to win the 2034 bid unopposed. This decision raised significant ethical questions, especially given Saudi Arabia's widely documented human rights controversies, leading many to believe the process was designed to ensure their victory.
Animal Welfare in Morocco
As a host nation, Morocco faced scrutiny from animal rights organizations, who alleged the systematic killing of stray dogs in preparation for the World Cup. With an estimated three million stray dogs in the country, methods such as poisoning and shooting were reportedly used, drawing international condemnation.
In response to these serious concerns, Moroccan authorities took action. In 2025, they adopted Law 19-25, establishing a comprehensive legal framework for the management of stray animals. This law introduced measures focused on sterilization, vaccination, identification, and the use of shelters, while also placing strict restrictions on the killing of stray animals, signaling a commitment to more humane practices.
Moroccan Occupation of Western Sahara
Morocco's involvement has also drawn attention to its military occupation of Western Sahara, a non-self-governing territory. Analysts expect Morocco to use the World Cup to bolster its claim over the region, a practice often termed 'sportswashing.' While an initial plan to build a stadium in Dakhla, Western Sahara, was considered, no matches will ultimately take place there.
The issue extends to official representations; in their bid document, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal included a map depicting Western Sahara as Moroccan territory. This drew swift response, with the Court of Arbitration for Sports ruling in February 2025 that jerseys could not display such a map, highlighting the ongoing political sensitivity.
Youth Protests in Morocco
In late September 2025, Morocco also witnessed a series of protests led by young people, self-identifying as 'Gen Z 212,' across several cities. These demonstrations highlighted deeper societal tensions, sparked by the perceived deterioration of the country's health and education systems. The protesters voiced strong opposition to the government's perceived excessive spending on sports infrastructure, particularly for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2030 FIFA World Cup, underscoring the dilemma many host nations face: balancing global sporting events with pressing domestic social needs.
UEFA Boycott and its Resolution
In July 2026, all 55 UEFA member associations announced an indefinite boycott of FIFA competitions, a significant response to FIFA's 'Forward Enterprise' proposal to sell stakes in its tournament operations. Though FIFA quickly scrapped the proposal, UEFA initially stated it no longer trusted FIFA's governance. However, after receiving written assurances from FIFA that similar plans would not be explored, UEFA officially ended the boycott on August 26, 2026, lifting a potential shadow over the participation of host nations Spain and Portugal.
Article
2030 FIFA World Cup
The 2030 FIFA World Cup is scheduled to be the 24th FIFA World Cup, the quadrennial international football tournament that is contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. The tournament is planned to be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. In honour of the 100th anniversary of the first edition in 1930, a special match and celebration are scheduled to be held at Estadio Centenario in Montevideo, Uruguay—host stadium of the 1930 final—as well as one match each in Estadio Monumental in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Estadio Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb in Asunción, Paraguay.
The tournament will be the first World Cup held in more than one confederation, the first in Africa since (/wiki/2010FIFAWorldCup), and the first ever in North Africa. It will be the first held in Morocco, Paraguay, and Portugal, and the second in Uruguay, Argentina, and Spain, after 1930, (/wiki/1978FIFAWorldCup), and (/wiki/1982FIFAWorldCup) respectively.
Morocco, Portugal, Spain, Argentina, Paraguay, and Uruguay all automatically qualified for the tournament as hosts, with Spain becoming the first ever defending champions to host the tournament after winning their second World Cup in 2026.
Possible format and expansion
2030 FIFA World Cup
At the March 2025 FIFA Council meeting, CONMEBOL proposed a one-off 64-team expansion to honour the tournament's centennial anniversary. Later that year, CONMEBOL leaders met directly with FIFA president Gianni Infantino in New York City to discuss the expansion. In July 2026, Infantino stated that he would consider this expansion. On 20 July 2026, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Domínguez announced that the tournament would feature 64 teams in a post on X. This has not been confirmed by FIFA. Critics claim increasing the number of qualified teams to 64 would devalue the qualification process and reduce competition quality.
Host selection
2030 FIFA World Cup
FIFA launched the bidding process in 2022. Because of the rule preventing countries belonging to confederations that hosted the two preceding tournaments to host the next, members of AFC and CONCACAF could not bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup–AFC as hosts of the World Cup in (/wiki/2022FIFAWorldCup) (Qatar), and CONCACAF as hosts in (/wiki/2026FIFAWorldCup) (United States, Canada, and Mexico).
During a friendly match between Portugal and Spain on 7 October 2020, the FPF and RFEF announced their intentions to produce a joint bid for the tournament. Almost two years later, on 5 October 2022, the federations held a joint press conference alongside the Ukrainian Association of Football president Andriy Pavelko. On 29 November, The Guardian reported the Ukrainian part of the bid was likely dead due to Pavelko's arrest on suspicion of embezzlement.
The Royal Moroccan Football Federation–failing to secure hosting rights in (/wiki/FIFAWorldCuphosts#1994FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/FIFAWorldCuphosts#1998FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/FIFAWorldCuphosts#2006FIFAWorldCup), (/wiki/FIFAWorldCuphosts#2010FIFAWorldCup) and (/wiki/Morocco2026FIFAWorldCupbid)–bid for the sixth time. On 14 March 2023, King Mohammed VI announced that Morocco would join the Portuguese–Spanish bid.
On 11 December 2024, FIFA confirmed the 2030 World Cup would be jointly hosted by Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. During an extraordinary FIFA Congress meeting, this announcement was made alongside the decision to award the 2034 tournament to Saudi Arabia.
<table><thead><tr><th colspan="2">2024 Extraordinary FIFA Congress 11 December 2024 – Zurich, Switzerland (virtual)</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th>Nation</th><th>Round 1</th></tr><tr><td> Morocco, Portugal, Spain</td><td>Acclamation</td></tr></tbody></table>
Proposed venues
2030 FIFA World Cup
Prior to finalising the bid book on 31 July 2024, the Royal Spanish Football Federation announced that a proposed 11 stadiums in 9 cities would host matches." The host city list was finalised 12 days later. It includes six stadiums in six cities in Morocco, three stadiums in two cities in Portugal, and eleven stadiums in nine cities in Spain for a total of twenty stadiums in seventeen cities. A total of twenty-three different venues are under consideration for hosting matches during the tournament.
In April 2025, some residents of San Sebastián wrote to FIFA asking to be removed as a host city amid overtourism. On 12 July 2025, Málaga withdrew due to logistical reasons regarding the renovation of Estadio La Rosaleda. On 15 March 2026, the mayor of A Coruña, Inés Rey, and also the president of Deportivo de A Coruña, Juan Carlos Escotet, announced they would withdraw as host city due to hosting costs despite having plans to upgrade the Estadio de Riazor.
Towards the end of March 2026, it was reported that the Royal Spanish Football Federation had submitted bids for Nou Mestalla in Valencia, and Estadio de Balaídos in Vigo, to replace Málaga and A Coruña's stadiums. Previous bids for these stadiums were turned down by FIFA for exceeding the limit of twenty stadiums per tournament.
<table><thead><tr><th>Country</th><th>City</th><th>Stadium</th><th>Capacity</th><th>Image</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th rowspan="6">Morocco</th><td>Agadir</td><td>Adrar Stadium</td><td>46,000 (after renovation)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Casablanca</td><td>Hassan II Stadium</td><td>115,000 (new)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Fez</td><td>Fez Stadium</td><td>55,800 (after renovation)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Marrakesh</td><td>Marrakesh Stadium</td><td>45,860 (after renovation)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Rabat</td><td>Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium</td><td>69,500 (new)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Tangier</td><td>Tangier Grand Stadium</td><td>75,500 (after renovation)</td><td></td></tr><tr><th rowspan="3">Portugal</th><td rowspan="2">Lisbon</td><td>Estádio da Luz</td><td>68,100</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Estádio José Alvalade</td><td>52,095</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Porto</td><td>Estádio do Dragão</td><td>50,033</td><td></td></tr><tr><th rowspan="11">Spain</th><td rowspan="2">Barcelona</td><td>Camp Nou</td><td>105,000 (after renovation)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>RCDE Stadium</td><td>40,500</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Bilbao</td><td>San Mamés Stadium</td><td>53,331</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Las Palmas</td><td>Gran Canaria Stadium</td><td>44,500 (after renovation)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td rowspan="2">Madrid</td><td>Bernabéu</td><td>83,186</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Metropolitano Stadium</td><td>70,692</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>San Sebastián</td><td>Anoeta Stadium</td><td>42,300</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Seville</td><td>Estadio de La Cartuja</td><td>70,000 (after renovation)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Valencia</td><td>Nou Mestalla</td><td>70,044 (new)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Vigo</td><td>Balaídos Stadium</td><td>44,000 (after renovation)</td><td></td></tr><tr><td>Zaragoza</td><td>La Romareda</td><td>43,110 (new)</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>
Three South American cities were also selected in the bid book to host the three centenary matches.
<table><thead><tr><th>Country</th><th>City</th><th>Stadium</th><th>Capacity</th><th>Image</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><th>Argentina</th><td>Buenos Aires</td><td>Estadio Monumental</td><td>100,000 (after renovation)</td><td></td></tr><tr><th>Paraguay</th><td>Asunción</td><td>Estadio Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb</td><td>46,000 (new)</td><td></td></tr><tr><th>Uruguay</th><td>Montevideo</td><td>Estadio Centenario</td><td>62,782 (after renovation)</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>
Teams
Qualification
Teams qualified Teams still able to qualify Not a FIFA member
Format changes
Two regional confederations have announced changes to their qualifying format for this tournament:
CONCACAF
On 6 February 2026, CONCACAF announced their qualifying format for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
• Round 1: The 22 teams ranked 14–35 in the CONCACAF rankings will be drawn into pairs and play a home-and-away matchup during the first half of the September–October 2027 international window with the 11 winners advancing to Round 2. • Round 2: The top 13 ranked associations in CONCACAF will be joined by the 11 winners from the Round 1 to create six groups of four teams with each facing each other home-and-away. The top two from each group advance to the final round. Round 2 will begin during the second half of the September–October 2027 international window with later matches in November 2027 and March 2028. • Final round: The 12 teams that advanced from Round 2 will be divided up into three groups of four with each team facing each other home-and-away. The top two teams in each group will automatically qualify for the World Cup while the two better third-placed finishers will qualify for the play-in. The final round will be played in June 2028 and in the 2029 September–October international window. • Play-in: The two teams will play each other home-and-away with the aggregate winner qualifying for the FIFA intercontinental play-offs. The two matches will take place in November 2029.
UEFA
On 20 May 2026, UEFA announced a new qualification format mirroring both the Champions League and Nations League. A two-tier qualification process will be created where major teams will no longer play minor teams to remove uncompetitive games. Under the new rules, the 36 highest-ranked countries—as determined by the 2028–29 Nations League—will be drawn into three groups of 12 in League 1. Teams in those groups would each play six games against six different opponents and be ranked in a 12-team league table. The best-ranked teams of each group of League 1 will qualify for the World Cup, with the remaining places allocated via play-offs. The remaining 18 lower-ranked countries will take part in League 2, split into three groups. All teams in both Leagues will play six home-and-away matches and the system of play-offs will involve teams from both Leagues—those who fall short of direct qualification in League 1 along with top teams from League 2. More details are expected to be released in late 2026 or early 2027.
Marketing
Broadcasting rights
• Australia – SBS • China – CCTV • Croatia – HRT • Czech Republic – ČT, TV Nova • Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia and Hungary – EBU • France – M6 • Germany – Magenta Sport • India – Zee • Ireland – RTÉ • Netherlands – NOS • New Zealand – TVNZ • Romania – Antena • Slovakia – TV JOJ • South Korea – JTBC • Thailand – MONOMAX Sports • United Kingdom – BBC, ITV
Sponsorship
<table><thead><tr><th>FIFA partners</th><th>FIFA World Cup sponsors</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>
Controversies
Manipulation of Spanish venues
On 23 March 2025, it was reported that the Royal Spanish Football Federation manipulated the classification scores when choosing the venues in order to exclude Balaídos Stadium and include Anoeta Stadium.
Inclusion of centenary match hosts
With the FIFA rotation system, which prevents continental associations from hosting consecutive or near-consecutive World Cups, CONCACAF (which won the rights to host the 2026 World Cup), CONMEBOL, UEFA, and CAF were all unable to bid for the (/wiki/2034FIFAWorldCup), leaving it open only for the AFC and OFC. This led to accusations that FIFA intentionally selected these countries, especially the centenary match hosts in the CONMEBOL region, to ensure that Saudi Arabia would win its bid for the 2034 tournament unopposed.
Animal welfare concerns
Animal rights organisations have accused Morocco of killing stray dogs ahead of its co-hosting of the FIFA World Cup. These groups estimate the stray dog population at 3 million and have alleged that methods used include poisoning and shooting.
In response, Moroccan authorities adopted Law 19-25 in 2025, which established a legal framework for the management of stray animals. The law introduced measures such as sterilisation, vaccination, identification, and the use of shelters, and restricted the killing of stray animals.
Moroccan occupation of Western Sahara
Western Sahara is a non-self-governing territory that has been under Moroccan military occupation since 1975. Analysts expect that Morocco will use the World Cup to bolster its claim over Western Sahara, such as through sportswashing. Morocco initially planned to build a stadium in Dakhla for the World Cup, though ultimately no matches will take place in the territory. Morocco regularly expels journalists who bring attention towards the occupation. It is doubling its green energy production in the territory to meet its own demands for the World Cup.
In their 2030 bid document, Morocco, Spain, and Portugal included a map that depicted Western Sahara as Moroccan territory; FIFA's bid evaluation report did not reproduce this map.
Gen Z 212 protests
In late September 2025, a series of protests erupted in several cities in Morocco led by the youth movement known as Gen Z 212. The protests were sparked by the deterioration of the country's health and education systems and the government's excessive spending on sports infrastructure in preparation for hosting the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations and the upcoming 2030 FIFA World Cup.
UEFA boycott
On 30 July 2026, following FIFA's announcement of FIFA Forward Enterprise (a proposal to sell stakes in FIFA's tournament operations, including for the World Cup, to private investors), all 55 UEFA member associations agreed on an indefinite boycott of FIFA competitions until the proposal was shelved and assurances were made that such a proposal would not be tabulated again. Two of the 2030 FIFA World Cup hosts – Spain and Portugal – are involved in the boycott. On 31 July, FIFA scrapped the proposal, although UEFA stated that, regardless, it no longer trusts FIFA's governance. After receiving written assurances from FIFA that similar plans would not be explored in the future, UEFA ended the boycott on 26 August.
Calls for Morocco's removal as a host
On 5 August 2026, Portuguese left-wing political party LIVRE called for Morocco to be removed from hosting the 2030 FIFA World Cup following the Ceuta migration crisis. The party urged the Portuguese and Spanish governments, as well as the European Union and UEFA, to support a hosting arrangement involving only Portugal and Spain, citing Morocco's handling of migration at the Ceuta border and broader human rights concerns. LIVRE spokesperson Jorge Pinto described the crisis as "the last straw" and questioned FIFA's governance and the transparency of its host selection process. The party had also previously criticized Morocco's involvement in the bid over its policies regarding Western Sahara. On the same day, Spanish left-wing political party and member of the Spanish government Sumar registered a non-binding motion calling on the government to discuss with the Spanish Royal Football Federation the need to "review and reevaluate" the current joint organization model with Morocco amid criticism over "grave breaches" on international agreements and human rights violations. Later, far-left party Podemos echoed the call to exclude Morocco from the organization after stating that the country "attacked Spain’s sovereignty". On 6 August, far-right party Vox submitted another non-binding motion asking for the same.