Centered on the 100-year anniversary of the inaugural World Cup, four South American nations officially submitted a bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
Those countries are Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay. The top three on that list have hosted at least one World Cup in the past. Uruguay’s inclusion on the list is of particular interest, as they hosted that first World Cup in 1930. They also won the World Cup on home soil.
A joint bid between the four nations has been in the works for a long time. However, this official candidacy wants the tournament to “go back to where football was born.”
“The 2030 World Cup is not just another World Cup, it deserves a celebration with recognition for 100 years,” said Alejandro Domínguez, president of the South American confederation CONMEBOL. Dominguez spoke with representatives from each of the four nations during a ceremony in Argentina. He, along with the rest of South America, is excited about the potential of hosting the 2030 World Cup.
“We are convinced that FIFA has an obligation to honor the memory of those who preceded us and believed in greatness and made the first World Cup,” Dominguez said.
South America is not alone in its bid to host the 2030 World Cup
CONMEBOL’s bid is the second official bid for the 2030 World Cup. The other comes from UEFA, which hosted jointly Spain, Portugal and Ukraine. Ukraine only joined the proposal in October 2022.
However, there are other locations that have yet to officially bid that surely will.
The biggest competitor is probably Saudi Arabia. Saudi Arabia has not only sided with FIFA’s announcements on other World Cups, but has also expressed interest in a joint bid with Egypt and Greece. While it would be a fairly spread out World Cup, it would span three continents. Of course, Saudi Arabia has a comparable human rights record to Qatar, which controversially hosted the 2022 World Cup.
One last potential host is Morocco, which has been on the list to host the World Cup on several occasions. It was about to host the 2026 World Cup, won by the United States, Mexico and Canada. If Morocco submits a bid to host, it will be the country’s sixth bid to host the World Cup.
Photo: IMAGO/Panthermedia
