According to media reports, Spain and Portugal want to strengthen their candidacy to host the 2030 World Cup with Ukraine. The joint application of the three countries should be officially announced on Wednesday at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon. After the plans were unveiled by the British newspaper The Times, Spanish media also reported on the project. The newspaper “El Mundo” wrote on Tuesday that the Spanish government had confirmed the plans on request.
The initiative is supported by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, whose country is suffering from the Russian war of aggression, and the governments in Madrid and Lisbon, El Mundo reported. Numerous discussions have already been held in the past few weeks. On Wednesday, the presidents of the Spanish (RFEF) and Portuguese federations (FPF), Luis Rubiales and Fernando Gomes, would explain the details in Switzerland.
With the involvement of Ukraine, Spain and Portugal probably have a better chance of winning the 2030 World Cup. According to the Spanish media, the South American applicants Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay, who want to jointly host the 24th Men’s Soccer World Cup, have so far been considered to be significantly more promising candidates. This is partly because 2030 will mark the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup in Uruguay. In addition, the last World Cup in the region took place in Brazil in 2014. It would be South America’s turn once more, they say.
But there are other possible competitors. The governments of Bulgaria and Greece had already announced a joint candidacy with Romania and Serbia in 2018. The government of Morocco is also considering a candidacy. The president of the world association FIFA, Gianni Infantino, recently brought up a possible staging by Israel and several Arab countries. There is no application deadline yet. After the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, the next tournament will take place in 2026 in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
(APA) / Image: Imago
