Hosts Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay to Compete in 2030 World Cup Qualifiers Despite Automatic Entry

Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay will take part in the qualification process for the 2030 World Cup, even though they already have automatic entry as three of the six host nations, according to Paraguayan football federation president Robert Harrison.

These countries will each hold one match during the 2030 tournament, which celebrates the 100th anniversary of the men's World Cup that began in Montevideo, Uruguay in 1930. The remainder of the competition will be hosted by Spain, Portugal, and Morocco.

FIFA plans to grant all six host countries automatic spots in the tournament, but Harrison confirmed the South American hosts will still participate in the CONMEBOL qualifiers. This participation goes beyond maintaining competitive rhythm.

A New Competition Linked to European Teams

Harrison hinted at a future contest resembling the UEFA Nations League, where South American teams will face European squads based on their qualification rankings.

“We’re all going to play qualifiers. We’re already qualified, but we’re all going to play qualifiers for positions for a future tournament that will be played against Europeans,” Harrison said during an interview with Paraguayan radio Rock&Pop.

The idea is that finishing in different qualifying positions would determine the European opponents and financial rewards. Facing higher-ranked European teams would yield greater profits.

“If you stay in fourth place or fifth, you’ll play against Spain, Germany, Europe 1, Europe 2 or Europe 3. If you play against Europe 3, your profit will be almost nothing, if it’s against Europe 2, more and Europe 1 it’s much more. There’s an economic factor that is very, very important in this qualification.”

Partnership Between CONMEBOL and UEFA

The two confederations have cooperated before, such as in the Finalissima—a match between Copa América and European Championship winners. There have been talks about inviting CONMEBOL teams into a UEFA Nations League format.

Harrison added that the 2030 qualifiers will award three and a half spots, with the three South American hosts already securing their places. He suggested this could lead to a new competition involving European teams, organized based on qualifier standings.

“These qualifiers for this World Cup will qualify three and a half spots. There will be three and a half places,” he explained. “Us three are already qualified. We’re seeing a possible project with the Europeans where this championship will be against them and will be played according to the location in the table, how the qualifiers in 2030 turn out.”

Potential Expansion Could Bring More Matches to Paraguay

Currently, each South American host is set to stage just one match. Still, CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez, who is from Paraguay, has pushed FIFA to expand the World Cup to 64 teams from 48. Should that happen, Paraguay might host an entire group stage rather than a single game.