Fierce competition to stage 2030 FIFA show

Article posted by Coliseum, September 16^th, 2022

Image: MJR Group Ltd./Coliseum

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece are set to announce a joint bid for the 2030 World Cup, according to reports.

‘GIVEMESPORT’ stated that a successful bid by the trio would mean a second Winter World Cup for fans, due to the extreme temperatures in the regions throughout June and July each year.

The 2030 FIFA World Cup™ will be the 24^th FIFA World Cup™, a quadrennial international football tournament contested by the men’s national teams of the member- associations of FIFA. The event will mark the centennial of the first World Cup.

‘GIVEMESPORT’ further stated that this year’s tournament in Qatar is set to be hosted in November and December for that very reason and has proven a widely unpopular choice amongst fans and league associations.

The 2022 FIFA World Cup™ is scheduled to be the 22nd running of the FIFA World Cup™ competition, the quadrennial international men’s football championship contested by the senior national teams of the member- associations of FIFA. It is scheduled to take place in Qatar from November 20^th to December 18^th, 2022.

The report stated that an announcement of the combined bid is on the horizon following lengthy talks between senior Government officials.

Saudi Arabia would act as the leading entity in the group, contributing to the infrastructure costs of its partner nations in what appears to be the latest move from the Gulf State to bring large-scale sporting events to the nation.

If successful, it would be the first time a World Cup has been held across three different continents (Asia, Africa and Europe) and therefore the bid is expected to draw pockets of support from each region.

However, it’s also worth noting that the decision would likely prove widely unpopular yet again for many involved in the game.

Saudi Arabia, like Qatar, is known to have vastly different cultures and practices to much of the Western world. Some of which violate clear human rights laws in the eyes of many of the nations that would be taking part – which poses an obvious ethical dilemma.

The prospect of a second Winter World Cup is obviously not all that enticing for fans, either.

Whilst league associations would likely oppose the bid because of the disruption it would cause to the regular club football season.

Who else is launching a bid for the 2030 World Cup?

The competition to host the 2030 World Cup is expected to be fiercer than ever before.

Europe’s lead bid, which is backed by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA), is anticipated to come from Spain and Portugal.

Whilst South America have already launched a serious bid, with an unprecedented four countries coming together in the form of Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay, and Chile to stage the competition.

The United Kingdom and Ireland were also expected to try their hand at attaining football’s biggest privilege but collapsed the project earlier this year.

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