APA-Rabat (Morocco) – The President of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) has welcomed the return of the competition in 2030, as the tournament celebrates its centenary that year.
The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by Mexico, the United States and Canada while the organisation of the next event, scheduled for four years later, has also been awarded to three countries. Morocco, Portugal and Spain.
This will be only the second time in the history of the tournament, which was created in 1930, that it will be held in Africa. So far, only South Africa, one of the world’s emerging nations, has had the honour of hosting the football extravaganza in 2010, under the gaze of Nelson Mandela.
Following the selection of Morocco, Portugal and Spain by FIFA, the CAF praised the decision.
“CAF is pleased to congratulate Morocco and its partners, Portugal and Spain, following the FIFA council’s decision to approve their bid. We are convinced that the 2030 World Cup will be a success,” President Patrice Motsepe said in a statement seen by APA on Thursday.
The South African went on to say that the partnership between the three countries “brings us together, unites Africa and Europe in football, inspires us all to work together and make the world a better place.”
Motsepe also congratulated “King Mohammed VI, the government and people of Morocco, as well as the CAF Executive Committee and the member associations representing the 54 African confederations for backing Morocco’s successful bid as joint host of the tournament.
The CAF chief praised the “leadership” of Fouzi Lekjaa, President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation (FRMF), adding that “Morocco’s hosting of the 2030 World Cup will make a significant contribution to the development and growth of football in Africa, especially among young people, whose population is the fastest growing in the world.”
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