New Delhi: The Portuguese talisman Cristiano Ronaldo added to the celebrations after FIFA officially announced Portugal and other five nations as the 2030 Men’s World Cup hosts. The 39-year-old believes the tournament will be exceptionally special at home.
The 2030 World Cup will be the first World Cup that will be played in six different countries with Spain, Portugal, and Morocco as the main hosts with Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay hosting the opening three games. The format will help FIFA commemorate the centenary of Uruguay hosting the first FIFA World Cup back in 1930.
Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay were the other joint bidders but in October last year, FIFA announced Spain, Portugal, and Morocco as the sole bidders for World Cup 2030.
Ronaldo took to social media to share his excitement after the announcement. The Al-Nassr forward wrote “The Most Special World Cup ever” in an Instagram post that had a photo of him celebrating while wearing Portugal’s jersey. He is the only man who has scored at five World Cup tournaments. However, he is unlikely to play in 2030. The caption of the post read, “A dream come true, Portugal will host the 2030 World Cup and fill us with pride. Together!
The approval of the six-nation bid was mostly a formality at FIFA’s online conference on Wednesday with Saudi Arabia also officially confirmed as the 2034 World Cup host. However, CONMEBOL, the South American governing body also celebrated the decision as they shared photos of the event with a caption reading, “Confirmed, World Cup 2030 will be played at home.”
The tournament is set to feature 48 teams, following the upcoming 2026 edition. The format will include 12 groups with 4 teams each, where the top two teams and the eight best third-placed teams will advance to the Round of 32.
Ronaldo’s World Cup journey with Portugal
Cristiano Ronaldo is widely regarded as one of the greatest footballers and the most prolific goalscorers in history, boasting an incredible record of 916 goals for club and country (as of now). Among these, he has scored 135 goals for Portugal which is also a record tally in men’s international football. However, his FIFA World Cup performances have been less remarkable with just eight goals in 22 matches across five editions.
Ronaldo made his World Cup debut in 2006 in Germany, scoring once in six matches as Portugal finished fourth. In 2010 (South Africa), he again managed only one goal in four matches, with Portugal eliminated in the Round of 16. The trend continued in 2014 (Brazil), where he scored just once in three games and Portugal failed to progress beyond the group stage.
The 2018 edition in Russia was Ronaldo’s most prolific World Cup as he scored four goals including a sensational hat-trick against Spain in the group stages. Despite this, Portugal was knocked out in the Round of 16. Most recently, in 2022 in Qatar, he found the net once in five matches as Portugal exited in the quarterfinals after a surprise defeat to Morocco.
Although Ronaldo is unlikely to feature in the 2030 World Cup, he remains determined to pursue the only missing trophy in his illustrious career with hopes of achieving it in 2026.
Cristiano Ronaldo shares his excitement as Portugal, Spain, and Morocco are confirmed as 2030 World Cup hosts. A historic tournament with 48 teams across six nations. Football Sports News: Latest Cricket News, Cricket Live Score, Sports Breaking News from Sports Today
