Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile intend to bid for the rights to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile intend to bid for the rights to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
Four South American nations will launch an unprecedented joint bid today to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which is expected to bring the global showpiece back to its first home.
Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile have long been intent on bidding.
More than three years ago he had committed to creating a local organizing committee to coordinate with CONMEBOL, the governing body of South American football, to plan his bid.
But it has taken until now for the “Juntos 2030” (simultaneous 2030) bid to become official.
It focuses on the desire to “bring the World Cup back to its original home: South America”, said CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez.
The first edition of the World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930 and the hosts won the final by beating their neighbors Argentina 4–2.
The joint South American bid aims to stage the 2030 final at the same Centenario Stadium, which hosted the first title match 100 years ago.
“For us it should be called the 2030 Centenary World Cup,” Uruguay’s Sports Minister Sebastian Bauza said.
“What we have to focus on is the Centenary World Cup. The celebration of 100 years of the first World Cup will take place here. Back to the legend, back to your roots! ,
Should it succeed, however, the two tournaments could not be more different.
In 1930 there were only 13 teams and the entire tournament was played in just three stadiums in a single city – Montevideo.
There will be 48 teams in 2030 with about 15 stadiums in all four countries.
If successful, it will be the first time that four countries will host the World Cup.
The 2026 tournament has already been awarded to three countries – Canada, Mexico and the United States.
Chile’s Sports Minister Alexandra Benado insisted in an interview published on Monday that all four countries are in a position to host the tournament, despite the Latin American region being the worst hit by the coronavirus pandemic.
“Our proposal will be strict and durable and will meet FIFA’s demands,” Benado told El Mercurio newspaper.
The combined South American bid is likely to come up against at least two other proposals.
Spain and Portugal have officially submitted a joint bid while Morocco has repeatedly insisted that they bid to become only the second African country to host the final.
The United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland decided in February to drop a joint bid that would have seen the five FIFA member associations hosting the tournament.
There have also been tentative discussions of an Israeli bid with the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain.
The last World Cup to be held in South America was Brazil 2014.
More than half of the 21 World Cup finals already held have taken place in Europe but Qatar will host the finals later this year, only the second time they will be in Asia.