Putting aside differences about how football should be run in Argentina, Presidency Secretary Karina Milei and Argentine Football Association President Claudio “Chiqui” Tapia traveled to Paraguay on Wednesday for FIFA’s official announcement that the country will host an opening game for the 2030 World Cup. 

It’s the first time the two have attended an event together, following a months-long standoff between AFA and the Milei administration over the inclusion of the private sports corporations model in Argentine sports.

“This World Cup will be very important for Argentina,” said Tapia. “It will be the first held under a democratic government in our country.”

The FIFA Congress announcing the hosts for the 2030 and 2034 World Cups was held in Zurich: the South American football government body Conmebol organized a celebratory event in Asunción, Paraguay. 

2030 will be a cross-continental affair held in Spain, Portugal, and Morocco, but the three opening games will be hosted in Argentina, Uruguay, and Paraguay. These will be called the Centenary Celebration Matches to commemorate the World Cup’s 100th anniversary.

Saudi Arabia was declared the host of the 2034 World Cup.

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Milei shared the stage with Tapia and Conmebol president Alejandro Domínguez. Tapia’s Uruguayan and Paraguayan counterparts, Ignacio Alonso and Robert Harrison, also attended.

Tapia thanked Milei for “accompanying the Argentine people’s dream of hosting a World Cup from the first.” Milei said it was an honor to host the 2030 World Cup and thanked FIFA for taking Argentina into consideration.

After the toast, Tapia presented her and Presidential Spokesperson Manuel Adorni, who was also present at the event, with a personalized Argentina jersey.

The announcement also confirmed River Plate’s Monumental Stadium as the venue for the game hosted in Argentina. In a recent report, FIFA called for changes to the stadium in order to host a match.

The original announcement of the possibility of hosting at least one game in the 2030 World Cup was made in October 2023, with Javier Milei’s run-off rival and then Economy Minister Sergio Massa.

After weeks of taking office, the Milei administration went head to head with the AFA over the legalization of private sports corporations (SADs, by their Spanish acronym), with Argentine football’s governing body aiming to maintain the country’s current system of nonprofit civil associations.

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