When is the next World Cup? Host countries, dates, format, teams

The 2026 FIFA World Cup is now over, with Spain lifting the trophy after beating Argentina 1-0 in extra time thanks to a goal from Ferran Torres.

There will now be a four-year wait until the next edition of the tournament, which will take place in 2030 and will mark the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup in 2030.

The tournament is being hosted by three different countries, Morocco, Spain and Portugal, while special centenary matches will take place in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

Here, Football Ground Guide brings you everything you need to know.

When is the next World Cup? Dates, hosts, format, teams

The 2030 World Cup technically begins on June 8 with a centenary celebration and matches involving Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay.

However, the official opening match will not take place until June 13, while the final game of the 2030 World Cup is scheduled for July 21.

World Cup 2030 hosts

The 2030 World Cup will be the second edition of the tournament to have three separate hosts – Morocco, Spain and Portugal.

However, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay will also stage one match each to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the inaugural World Cup in 1930.

Those countries were chosen because Uruguay hosted and won the 1930 tournament and Argentina finished as the runner-up. Paraguay was selected as it is the home of CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football, which was the only confederation to exist at the time of the first World Cup.

It has not yet been confirmed which stadiums will be hosting games, but the full list of proposed venues is as follows:

Morocco

• Agadir – Adrar Stadium
• Casablanca – Hassan II Stadium
• Fez – Fez Stadium
• Marrakesh – Marrakesh Stadium
• Rabat – Prince Moulay Abdellah Stadium
• Tangier – Ibn Batouta Stadium

Portugal

• Lisbon – Estádio da Luz
• Lisbon – Estádio José Alvalade
• Porto – Estádio do Dragão

Spain

• Barcelona – Camp Nou
• Barcelona – RCDE Stadium
• Bilbao – Estadio de San Mamés
• Las Palmas – Estadio de Gran Canaria
• Madrid – Bernabéu
• Madrid – Estadio Metropolitano
• San Sebastian – Estadio de Anoeta
• Seville – Estadio de La Cartuja
• Valencia – Nou Mestalla
• Vigo – Estadio de Balaídos
• Zaragoza – Estadio Nueva Romareda

Argentina

• Buenos Aires – Estadio Monumental

Paraguay

• Asuncion – Estadio Osvaldo Domínguez Dibb

Uruguay

• Montevideo – Estadio Centenario

World Cup 2030 format

The exact format of the 2030 World Cup is currently unclear, with FIFA considering expanding the tournament to 64 teams. The 2026 tournament featured 48 teams for the first time, culminating in 104 games played across the host cities.

When asked about the potential expansion, FIFA president Gianni Infantino said: “That's definitely ​an issue that will be examined and discussed in the relevant committees after this World Cup. When organising ⁠a World Cup, it's important to organise it for the whole world – not just Europe and South America – but effectively the ⁠entire world.

“Every nation should be allowed to dream of participating in the World Cup. ​You can see that the quality ‌of the teams is ‌extremely high – and it's getting higher and higher, all over the world. If you ‌don’t give smaller countries a chance to participate in the World Cup, they’ll lack the incentive to keep improving.”

World Cup 2030 teams

The only teams that have qualified for the 2030 World Cup so far are the three co-hosts and the three centenary match co-hosts.

• Morocco
• Spain
• Portugal
• Argentina
• Paraguay
• Uruguay