FIFA left Chile out of the organization of the 2030 World Cup, which was granted to the joint candidacy of Spain, Portugal and Morocco, and will have its inauguration in Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, the South American countries that were also bidding to host it in a common candidacy that also included Chile.
This was announced on Wednesday by the president of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), Alejandro Dominguez, who stated that Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will host the respective inaugurations of the 2030 World Cup, when the centenary of this global football event is celebrated.
"We believed in Greatness. The Centennial World Cup 2030 begins where it all began. Uruguay, Argentina and Paraguay will be the venues for the inaugural matches of the #CentennialWorldCup," wrote on his social media account X (formerly Twitter) without mentioning Chile.
In a subsequent press conference, Dominguez announced that the tournament will start at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo.
"There will be a period before the match where we will be celebrating the anniversary in Uruguay, Argentina, and Paraguay. There will be three inaugurations, not just three matches, but three inaugurations that will take place in these venues, in these countries, and also all the previous celebrations," he added.
For months, the South American candidacy feared that its options would be reduced precisely because of the lack of stadiums and facilities with the minimum FIFA requirements in Chile, since currently none of them meets them, including the Monumental Stadium of Colo Colo.
Only the National Stadium, which is being remodeled for the inauguration of the Pan American Games on October 20, comes close to international standards, although it is still far behind European venues in terms of amenities.
The lack of stadiums with minimum security and lighting conditions, as well as adequate dressing rooms and press rooms in Chile, means that most clubs in the country cannot even play their Copa Libertadores or Copa Sudamericana matches in their stadiums, despite the fact that the regulations of the Conmebol are more permissive than those of FIFA.