Prime Minister Boris Johnson said that it is the “right time” for the UK and Republic of Ireland to launch a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
The UK government will apparently invest £2.8m to kick-start the process during Wednesday’s Budget announcement. The football associations of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland say they are “delighted” with the government’s commitment.
The PM said: “We are very, very keen to bring football home in 2030.”
In an interview with the Sun, Boris Johnson said: “I do think it’s the right place. It’s the home of football, it’s the right time. It will be an absolutely wonderful thing for the country. We want to see a bonanza of football in the years ahead.” A study will be carried out to see whether the bid is suitable before the formal World Cup bidding process begins in 2022.
The football associations of England, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland stated: “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. The FAs will continue to undertake feasibility work to assess the viability of a bid before Fifa formally opens 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 PM also told the Sun that the UK was ready to host additional Euro 2020 games, after the government last week announced plans to end all restrictions in England by 21 June. The Euros were postponed by a year as a result of the Covid pandemic and are now set to be held in 12 host cities this summer. It is understood that Uefa still wants the tournament to proceed in this way. Wembley will host seven games – including the final and semi-finals – of Euro 2020, while Glasgow and Dublin will also host games.
The last major men’s football tournament played in the UK was the 1996 European Championship, which England hosted 30 years after staging its only World Cup. World Cups from 2026 onwards will be 48 team tournaments, beginning when the US, Canada and Mexico host the tournament. Joint bids from Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay as well as Spain, Morocco and Portugal are expected to be the competition for the 2030 competition.
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