FIFA announced Wednesday (October 4) that the 2023 World Cup would be held across six countries in three continents, a historic first for the global football body.
The countries that would co-host the event are Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, with the first three matches taking place in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.
The arrangement was decided to commemorate the FIFA World Cup's centenary. The inaugural tournament happened in Montevideo in 1930, the BBC reported.
The decision is set to be ratified at a FIFA congress next year.
"In a divided world, FIFA and football are uniting," the global body's president Gianni Infantino said.
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From Rivals to Co-Hosts
According to the Associated Press, FIFA reached an agreement that the Spain-Portugal-Morocco bid was going to be merged with the Argentina-Paraguay-Uruguay bid.
Prior to the announcement, the two bids have been rivaling each other.
The consensus reached by once-rival football continents also let FIFA fast-track the opening of the 2034 World Cup bidding contest, which was limited to member federations from Asia and Oceania.
As for the Women's World Cup, Australia aimed to bid for another tournament for 2034 after the success of this year's games. However, Saudi Arabia is also bidding to host the female category of the world sports tournament.
The FIFA World Cup is also expanding the number of teams that would qualify to 48, with the first tournament doing so would happen in 2026 when the US, Canada, and Mexico would co-host.
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