The 211 member federations of Fifa ratified by acclamation this Wednesday, on the occasion of an exceptional congress, the designation of the host countries for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups. The two editions will be respectively organized by the Spain-Portugal trio -Morocco for the first, with matches in South America, and Saudi Arabia for the second.
And suddenly, they began to applaud, not always in unison, at the invitation of the president of Fifa, Gianni Infantino. Unsurprisingly, since all suspense had been swept away in recent months, FIFA ratified, after a tedious process, this Wednesday afternoon, the designation of the host countries for the 2030 and 2034 Football World Cups.
Gathered in a virtual Congress, the 211 member federations (editor's note, 210 in reality, Norway having chosen to abstain) had to approve the only two remaining candidacies for these two editions, after a series of defections.
What they did by ratifying by acclamation and remotely an unprecedented arrangement for the centenary edition (the first edition took place in Uruguay, in 1930) and tri-continental competition, entrusted to the trio Spain-Portugal-Morocco , with the first three matches played in South America.
Three matches which will be played in Uruguay, obviously, then in Argentina and finally in Paraguay, between June 8 and 9, 2030.
Two highly criticized attributions
The six teams involved in these first three matches will then cross the Atlantic to play the remaining 101 matches on the European and African continents., from June 13 to July 21.
Most of these matches will be hosted in Spain, with the host of the 1982 World Cup providing 11 of the 20 required stadiums.
Morocco, which is applying to host the 2030 World Cup final, becomes the second African country to host the competition on the continent, after South Africa in 2010.
The logistical challenge of moving so many people over such great distances and in such a short time, with disregard for the planet, raises questions, as it goes against the environmental commitments made by Fifa.
The 2034 World Cup in the middle of winter?
The question arises in the same way for the 2034 edition which returned to Saudi Arabia despite the numerous criticisms raised by the project, and the concerns expressed by NGOs concerned about the environment and respect for human rights.
The Saudi kingdom was the only candidate after the renunciation of Australia and Indonesia. As a reminder, Fifa had limited its brief call for applications to only the Asian and Oceanic confederations for this edition.
Winning the World Cup is a considerable victory for Saudi Arabia. The culmination of a vision for its future, the realization of its strategy of respectability.
Committed to a strategy of diversifying its economic assets and improving its reputation and image in the world for several years, through massive investments in sport in particular, Saudi Arabia currently only has two of the 14 required stadiums.
To avoid stifling heat, the 2034 World Cup should, like the last edition of the World Cup, organized in Qatar, take place in the middle of winter or at the end of autumn.
