The Confederation of African Football (CAF) congratulated Morocco and its partners, Portugal and Spain, for securing the hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup, highlighting the immense potential that the bid holds for the African continent.

“CAF believes that Morocco’s hosting of the FIFA World Cup 2030 will contribute significantly to the development and growth of football in Africa, particularly amongst the African youth whose population is the fastest growing youth population in the World,” said CAF in a press release.

The confederation noted that the 2030 World Cup will mark the second time in the tournament’s 100-year history that Africa hosts it.

CAF President Patrice Motsepe expressed his confidence that the Morocco, Portugal, and Spain 2030 World Cup will be successful in the FIFA bidding process and obtain the FIFA Congress’ approval.

He emphasized that this collaboration reflects the unity between Africa and Europe in football and “inspires all of us to work together and make the World a better place.”

Motsepe also thanked King Mohammed VI, as well as Morocco’s government and people, for supporting the country’s 2030 World Cup bid. He also extended his thanks to the CAF Member Associations for supporting this bid.

In addition, Motsepe highlighted that CAF is “proud of the outstanding leadership” of Fouzi Lekjaa, the President of the Moroccan Royal Federation of Football.

The 2030 World Cup will mark the first time that three continents host the tournament.

Besides the official hosts, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Argentina will host one match each to celebrate Marrakech tourism the 100th anniversary of the first-ever World Cup that was held in Uruguay in 1930.

In addition, the sporting event will feature 48 teams, who will play a total of 104 matches.