UK And Irish Governments Back Potential 2030 World Cup Bid
The UK and Irish governments have backed a potential joint bid for the 2030 World Cup.
The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland have joined together to study the feasibility of the bid, which has already seen a pledge of £2.8 million from the UK Government. The Irish government has also said it will back such a plan.
In a joint statement, the associations said: “The football associations and government partners of the UK and Ireland are delighted that the UK government has committed to support a prospective five-association bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
“We will continue to undertake feasibility work to assess the viability of a bid before FIFA formally open the process in 2022. Staging a FIFA World Cup would provide an incredible opportunity to deliver tangible benefits for our nations.
“If a decision is made to bid for the event, we look forward to presenting our hosting proposals to FIFA and the wider global football community.”
The proposal will now undergo a feasibility study throughout 2021, before FIFA opens the formal bidding process in 2022.
The FAI’s CEO – and former FA Commercial Director – Jonathan Hill, told Irish broadcaster RTE: “I think the decision to have a joint approach is the right decision. Because we know that the English FA has already had two attempts to host the World Cup since it last did in 1966.
“So I think it needed to change the narrative slightly, and I think, incorporating the other home nations and, in particular, incorporating the FAI into the proposed approach, I think is very sensible.
“I think that will fall well within both UEFA, and within UEFA federations and I think also within FIFA.”
The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar, with the 2026 edition of the tournament to take place in the USA, Canada, and Mexico. The 2030 edition will mark the centenary of the competition, which was first staged in France in 1930.
