FIFA unexpectedly revealed Morocco, Spain, and Portugal as the recipients of the 2030 World Cup.



To commemorate the tournament’s centennial, they also announced that three matches will be hosted by <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/2030-world-cup-to-be-held-across-three-continents-says-fifa-20231004-WST-460289.html">Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay.</a>



FIFA revealed that the combined bid from Morocco, Portugal, and Spain was the only candidate in contention to host the tournament. 



The inaugural World Cup took place in 1930 in Uruguay and was won by the hosts after defeating Argentina in the final in Montevideo.



This collaboration is a <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/sepp-blatter-calls-multi-continental-2030-world-cup-absurd-20231009-WST-461128.html">significant move by these three nations </a>to secure the organization of the World Cup. Such an opportunity is highly coveted by other countries aspiring to host the most popular international competition.



<h5>Morocco challenge Spain with new mega-stadium</h5>



Under this arrangement, Morocco is set to provide six stadiums in cities like Casablanca, Rabat, Tangier, Marrakech, Agadir, and Fez. Spain will contribute the largest number of stadiums with nine, given their extensive soccer infrastructure. Portugal, meanwhile, will offer three soccer venues.



Preparations for the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/world-cup-tv-schedule/">2030 World Cup</a> have already commenced, with 15 stadiums in Spain meeting the necessary requirements. However, there remain uncertainties regarding the distribution of matches among the three participating countries.



Spain had initially hoped to host the final of the 2030 World Cup on their own soil. Nevertheless, Morocco have their own plans, including the construction of a new stadium in Casablanca with a seating capacity of 93,000 spectators.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">🚨 OFFICIEL ! La Fédération Royale Marocaine de Football va construire le 𝗣𝗟𝗨𝗦 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗗𝗘 𝗗’𝗔𝗙𝗥𝗜𝗤𝗨𝗘 et le 𝗦𝗘𝗖𝗢𝗡𝗗 𝗣𝗟𝗨𝗦 𝗚𝗥𝗔𝗡𝗗 𝗦𝗧𝗔𝗗𝗘 𝗔𝗨 𝗠𝗢𝗡𝗗𝗘 ! 🤯🇲🇦 Celui-ci sera situé à la ville de Benslimane, près de Casablanca. Il aura une… <a href="https://t.co/hfhivh92b0">pic.twitter.com/hfhivh92b0</a>— Instant Foot ⚽️ (@lnstantFoot) <a href="https://twitter.com/lnstantFoot/status/1715390864501965049?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 20, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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This stadium will meet FIFA standards and could potentially pose strong competition to Spain’s largest stadiums, such as Santiago Bernabéu and Camp Nou. Thus, Catalan newspaper <a href="https://www.mundodeportivo.com/" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Mundo Deportivo</a> report that the North African country is keen on hosting the final of the 2030 World Cup in their own country.



<h5>Morocco’s FA given $2 billion in funds</h5>



The President of the Moroccan Football Federation, Fouzi Lekjaa, has affirmed that the new stadium in would fully comply with all the required standards. As a result, they are determined to host the final match. Additionally, Morocco may highlight the fact that the World Cup Final has only been held in Africa once, in South Africa in 2010.



<a href="https://www.moroccoworldnews.com/2023/10/358455/2030-world-cup-morocco-allocates-mad-20-billion-for-stadium-upgrades-construction" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Morocco World News</a> have also added that the country has made a substantial commitment, investing approximately $2 billion for the refurbishment of six soccer stadiums and the construction of a new one.



Photo credit: IMAGO / CHROMORANGE

Morocco pose strong 2030 World Cup Final host threat to Spain

It is presently planned for Spain to host the World Cup 2030 final match. Moroccans, though, would like to host it as well.

Morocco pose strong 2030 World Cup Final host threat to Spain - World Soccer Talk

In 2025, the USA will host FIFA’s revamped Club World Cup with an increased number of teams. FIFA president Gianni Infantino announced that the event will expand to 32 teams.



There will be 12 European teams participating. That includes the UEFA Champions League winners from 2021-24 (<a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/chelsea-tv-schedule/">Chelsea</a>, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/real-madrid-tv-schedule/">Real Madrid</a>, and <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/teams/manchester-city-tv-schedule/">Manchester City</a>). Using the same criteria over the same four-year period, the remaining European clubs will be selected.



Six teams from South America, including the Copa Libertadores champions from 2021-2024, are part of the remaining 20 spots. Additionally, four representatives from the Confederation of North, Central American, and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) will be present.



The top-ranked club from Oceania’s Champions League winners in the years 2021–24 also qualifies. Finally, a team from the host country’s team and four more teams from Africa and Asia complete the squads.



<h2>Tebas slams FIFA after Club World Cup expansion</h2>



The president of <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/la-liga-tv-schedule/">La Liga</a>, Javier Tebas, has been critical of the new structure in his recent interview. The financial stability of European teams would suffer. Moreover, the schedule will yield intolerable strain, he claims.



In response to FIFA’s plan to enlarge the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/club-world-cup-tv-schedule-streaming-links/">Club World Cup</a>, Tebas informed <a href="https://www.skysports.com/football/news/12040/12923661/future-of-football-javier-tebas-exclusive-interview-laliga-president-shares-concerns-over-tournament-expansions" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Sky</a> about opposition to the expansion. And he said he’s going to go to court to stop FIFA from expanding their tournaments.



“For FIFA it is only related to power. The Club World Cup – 85 percent of the money they are getting in, they are going to distribute to the clubs, there is only going to be 15 percent for the confederations and the organizers. So I don’t think it’s all about money necessarily, because FIFA deal with huge amounts of money



“I think it’s more a power issue. [Gianni] Infantino has long wanted this Club World Cup to compete with the Champions League, and so there’s a difference in power between FIFA and UEFA because of that.”



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">🗣 "I think it&apos;s more a power issue. Infantino has long wanted this Club World Cup to compete really with the Champions League." La Liga president, Javier Tebas has accused FIFA president, Gianni Infantino of a power grab <a href="https://t.co/vBCrZOuoHS">pic.twitter.com/vBCrZOuoHS</a>— Football Daily (@footballdaily) <a href="https://twitter.com/footballdaily/status/1689255277151846401?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 9, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
</div></figure>



<h5>La Liga president could even take matters to court</h5>



FIFA, according to the La Liga president, is only interested in expanding. The two governing bodies want to capitalize on the prestige of the top clubs. He claims it doesn’t help soccer as a whole in any way.



“I think the key issue behind this is: we are managing the world football calendar for 300 elite players and 20 elite clubs. And we just can’t do that. We have over 1,500 professional clubs and over 40,000 professional players, and we are just thinking about the elite, and not thinking about all those other professional footballers.



“What really worries us is that there is going to be a much bigger difference in the money received by bigger clubs compared with other clubs in those domestic leagues. They [FIFA] have to think about all the different effects, and maybe they should realize they shouldn’t be doing this competition.”



To the question, “Can La Liga take FIFA to court?” Tebas said, “Well, it’s not that we can, it’s what we are going to do! “In the World Leagues Forum, they’re now carrying out a study on possible claims. And we are very clear on this – if it is not going to be led by the World Leagues Forum, La Liga is going to take them [FIFA] to court.



“We are not going to wait for decisions from elsewhere. We are very clear that this is going to cause a lot of damage to the national leagues, and if we have to go to court by ourselves, we will do so, and that is it.”



PHOTO: IMAGO &amp; NurPhoto

In his latest tirade against FIFA, La Liga president Javier Tebas has criticized the format changes made to the Club World Cup in the USA.

USA's Club World Cup is a power play by FIFA against UEFA

It’s time for another edition of the World Soccer Talk Reader Mailbag. This week, we tackle US Open Cup coverage, the Premier League Fan Fest, CONCACAF, Serie A and the FIFA Club World Cup. Don’t forget to add any new questions you might have in the comments below, and we’ll do our best to answer those next week. The questions don’t have to be about streaming. Remember, they can be about soccer too.



Dave: A few US Open Cup questions: 1) Have Turner announced coverage plans and/or outsourced rights to someone else? 2) Which rounds historically are the most entertaining, with a good mix of minnows and big names (like Third/Fourth round proper of FA Cup)? I remember last year having several very fun weeks



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;1) There has been no additional news about the US Open Cup TV coverage since <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/news/us-open-cup-media-deal-20220216-CMS-371017.html">our story discussed the deal</a> almost twelve months ago. Once we get closer to the First Round in late March, we expect to have more details about the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/02/15/cindy-parlow-cone-talks-us-soccer-media-rights/">media rights</a>.



2) The round when MLS teams start to enter (this year is the third round, April 25-26) where they will potentially face off against lower division professional or even amateur teams is always a lot of fun. Everyone loves a good underdog story and some giant-killing moments. We’re hoping for another Sacramento-type run this year, just like last year when they <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/2022/09/07/orlando-city-wins-us-open-cup/">reached the US Open Cup final</a>.



Dave, thanks for your questions. It’ll certainly be fascinating to see how Warner Bros-Discovery broadcasts the US Open Cup given that last year’s coverage on <a href="https://go.web.plus.espn.com/mWebq" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">ESPN+</a> was one of the best in recent memory.



Bill: Just wondering if you guys went to Fan Fest in Orlando this past weekend and if not, why not (just being nosey)? I know Fan Fest is a very American sports flashy thing and not the seriousness respect of the sport y’all prefer but it looks fun to be there.



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;We were there. Kartik Krishnaiyer and I arrived on Thursday evening to prepare for our early morning interviews with the talent from NBC Sports on Friday. We interviewed <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/rebecca-lowe-reflects-on-10-years-of-premier-league-on-nbc-20230123-WST-416491.html">Rebecca Lowe</a>, <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/tv/tim-howard-on-his-role-as-the-american-voice-of-premier-league-coverage-20230124-WST-416503.html">Tim Howard</a> and The 2 Robbies. Then on Saturday, I interviewed Alan Shearer, Gary Cahill and NBC Sports executives, so keep an eye out for those interviews later in theweek on this website.



Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the weekend there. For me personally, my favorite part was talking to the soccer fans who traveled from across the country to attend the Fan Fest in Orlando. I also loved seeing all of the different shirts that the American soccer fans wore, which was an eclectic mixture of clubs, to say the least.



If you’re reading this and you’ve never attended any of the Fan Fests, I highly recommend you go to the next one. It was so much fun.



Francisco: For next season, is there going to be any streaming service or channel that is going to pick up the rights to broadcast Italian Serie A in Spanish?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;<a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paramount+</a> continues to have the rights to <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/serie-a-tv-schedule/">Serie A</a> in all languages, but so far the streaming service has been reluctant to offer Spanish-language commentary to the games.



Honestly, though, the cost of providing Spanish-language commentary for Serie A matches may be cost prohibitive. I don’t believe there’s enough demand from Spanish-language viewers to make it worthwhile. 



Francisco, I know that other fans of Serie A have asked for Spanish-language commentary too. My advice would be to try to round up more fans on social media, and ask them to <a href="https://help.paramountplus.com/s/contact-us" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">let Paramount+ know</a> that you want games in Spanish.



Jason: What CONCACAF based competitions are on Paramount+ in 2023?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;Looking ahead to 2023, <a href="https://paramountplus.qflm.net/c/330866/1007330/3065" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Paramount+</a> has the <a href="https://worldsoccertalk.com/concacaf-nations-league-schedule/">Concacaf Nations League</a>, which returns at the end of March.



Jason: What streaming service has the FIFA Club World Cup in February?



World Soccer Talk:&nbsp;Great question, Jason. As you probably know, FOX Sports and Telemundo have the television rights to the competition. While FOX Sports still do not have a direct-to-consumer streaming service (other than Tubi, which showed games on demand at the World Cup), your best bet is to watch all of the games in Spanish via <a href="https://imp.i305175.net/c/330866/1313913/11640" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">Peacock Premium</a> for $4.99 per month (which also includes 180 Premier League games per season as well as USMNT and USWNT games).



Presumably FOX Sports will show games via their FOX Sports app.



That’s all for this week. Don’t forget to ask your questions in the comments below, and we’ll answer in the Reader Mailbag next Tuesday

The World Soccer Talk Reader Mailbag answers your questions about TV and streaming coverage, and soccer in general, every week.

Reader Mailbag: Answering your soccer questions - World Soccer Talk

Reader Mailbag: Answering your soccer questions

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The matchups for the upcoming <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/club-world-cup-tv-schedule-streaming-links/">FIFA Club World Cup</a> are now officially set after a draw for the competition was completed early Friday in Morocco. Seven total teams will enter the tournament to be played from February 1st through the 11th.



Wydad (CAF), Auckland City (OFC), Seattle Sounders (CONCACAF), Flamengo (CONMEBOL), and <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/teams/real-madrid-tv-schedule/">Real Madrid</a> (UEFA) all qualified for the Club World Cup for winning their respective confederations. Al Ahly earned access to the competition to the tournament as host (despite being an Egyptian team). They were previously runners-up in the CAF Champions League Final in 2022.



Al Hilal is also competing in this year’s Club World Cup because they won the AFC Champions League tournament in 2021. The 2022 competition is still in the knockout phases. It will not end until later in this year. 



American fans will notice Seattle Sounders appearing in the competition. This is the first time an MLS team is competing in the Club World Cup.



<figure class="wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-twitter wp-block-embed-twitter"><div class="wp-block-embed__wrapper">
<div class="ck-twitter"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-width="500" data-dnt="true">The countdown to the Club World Cup is on 😈 <a href="https:\/\/t.co/ChCJG0CZWn">pic.twitter.com/ChCJG0CZWn</a>— Seattle Sounders FC (@SoundersFC) <a href="https:\/\/twitter.com/SoundersFC/status/1612222313948409856?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 8, 2023</a></blockquote></div><script async="" src="https:\/\/platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
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<h2>FIFA Club World Cup draw results</h2>



DRAW



First Round



Al Ahly SC vs. Auckland, February 1



Second Round



Seattle Sounders vs. Al Ahly SC or Auckland, February 4 Wydad AC vs. Al Hilal SFC, February 4



Semi-final



Flamengo vs. Wydad AC or Al Hilal SFC, February 7 Seattle Sounders or Al Ahly or Auckland vs. Real Madrid, February 8



Third-place final



Losers of semi-final 1 vs. semi-final 2, February 11



Final



Winners of semi-final 1 vs. semi-final 2, February 11



Television broadcasts of the games will be shown across FOX Sports and Telemundo Deportes in the United States. As soon as we get more details, check out the <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/club-world-cup-tv-schedule-streaming-links/">Club World Cup TV schedule</a>.



<h5>Format for tournament is a bit uncommon</h5>



With an odd number of teams, the competition’s format is a bit unusual. Al Ahly will face Auckland City on February 1st in the first round of the competition. It will be the only match of the opening round of the tournament. Three remaining clubs will begin play in the second round of the competition. This is a bit similar to the March Madness bracket of college basketball here Stateside. 



As winners of the two toughest confederations, Flamengo and Real Madrid will enter the tournament in the semifinal stage. Although Flamengo has never won the Club World Cup, Brazilian teams have collected the trophy four times since the competition began in 2000. Real Madrid has won this tournament four times during a five-year stretch between 2014 and 2018. UEFA teams have triumphed in each of the last nine Club World Cups.



FIFA has already <a href="https:\/\/worldsoccertalk.com/news/premier-league-should-boycott-club-world-cup-says-carragher-20221216-WST-412499.html" target="_blank" rel="noreferrer noopener">announced plans to expand</a> the competition to 32 teams in 2025.



PHOTO: IMAGO / Sven Simon

The FIFA Club World Cup draw has been released. The tournament will take place in Morocco from February 1st through the 11th.

FIFA Club World Cup Draw out; Seattle could face Real Madrid - World Soccer Talk

FIFA Club World Cup Draw out; Seattle could face Real Madrid

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