2023 World Cup to be hosted by six countries
The tournament will be held across three continents as FIFA celebrates 100 years of the competition.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco would be the official World Cup hosts, but the first three games would take place in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay.
The radical move is the result of months of secret talks between UEFA and the South American and African federations, who reached an agreement before taking the proposal to FIFA. The world governing body are also understood to have given their support in principle to an idea that would spare them a lengthy and costly bidding process, but it needs to be rubber-stamped at next year’s FIFA Congress.
Spain, Portugal and Morocco have been considered favourites to win hosting rights for 2030 since confirming their joint bid earlier this year, which would have meant heartbreak for fans in South America.
Uruguay and Argentina announced their intention to come together to host the centenary World Cup as long ago as 2017, a romantic bid given they contested the first final which was won by the Uruguayan hosts in 1930, a joint enterprise which was subsequently joined by Paraguay and Chile.
