SWITZERLAND: FIFA has announced that the 2030 World Cup will be held on three continents, with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay hosting the opening matches. It also added that actions would be taken to “mitigate the environmental impact” of the three-continent 2030 World Cup.
However, climate campaigners have criticized the decision to host the event on three different continents, citing emissions from the extra travel required.
Only three games would be held in South America, FIFA noted on its website, adding that the tournament’s 2030 hosts will be Morocco, Portugal, and Spain. The tournament will be held in 101 geographically adjacent countries with well-developed infrastructure and transportation links.
Six of the 48 teams have already been confirmed, after to FIFA’s confirmation that Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay will all automatically qualify for the tournament.
The federation said that Morocco, Portugal and Spain being tournament hosts and Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay being centenary hosts, will secure automatic qualification from their respective confederations’ slot allocation quotas.
FIFA said that it is going to take necessary steps to decrease the effects on the environment. From a sustainability perspective, it’s also important to note that only one bid considerably cuts down on travel for site inspections and other meetings, the football federation added.
FIFA’s promise of the first carbon-neutral World Cup was criticized by environmentalists as dangerous and misleading, with some suggesting the event may have a carbon footprint three times larger than claimed.
At a FIFA congress the following year, the choice still needs to be approved.
FIFA decided to spread out the tournament’s venues over several continents after the organization‘made false assertions’ regarding the World Cup’s in Qatar in 2022 having a smaller environmental impact.
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