The 24th instalment of the FIFA World Cup is set to be held in six countries across three continents, with the bulk of the tournament's matches to take place across Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
The three nations made a successful joint bid to host the 2030 tournament, which will also include a unique centenary celebration ceremony in Uruguay's capital, Montevideo, where the first ever FIFA World Cup took place in 1930.
The opening three matches will be played in Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay respectively, in recognition of the centenary.
"The FIFA Council, representing the entire world of football, unanimously agreed to celebrate the centenary of the FIFA World Cup, whose first edition was played in Uruguay in 1930, in the most appropriate way," said FIFA President Gianni Infantino.
"As a result, a celebration will take place in South America and three South American countries - Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay - will organise one match each of the FIFA World Cup 2030.
"The first of these three matches will of course be played at the stadium where it all began, in Montevideo’s mythical Estádio Centenário, precisely to celebrate the centenary edition of the FIFA World Cup.”
The new format will see all six nations automatically qualify for the 48-team tournament, which comes after Saudi Arabia had once been expected to lead a bid alongside Greece and Egypt for 2030.
However, within hours of FIFA inviting bids from Asia and Oceania to host the tournament in 2034, the Saudi Football Federation unveiled its bid for that tournament within hours, stating that it intends to bid alone.
“We believe the time is right for Saudi Arabia to host the FIFA World Cup. Our bid is driven by a love for the game and a desire to see it grow in every corner of the world," said Yasser al-Misehal, the president of the Saudi Football Federation.
Australia remain an interested party in hosting the 2034 tournament, with possible proposals from Indonesia and China meaning that a November-December scheduling is almost a certainty for that year.
After losing out to Qatar in the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup, Australians will be hoping that the highly successful 2023 Women's World Cup co-hosted with New Zealand will put the country in a good position to host the 2034 men's tournament.
FIFA have given Football Australia a tight 25-day turnaround to submit a bid for the 2034 World Cup.
