UK Government Commits To Support Bid To Host 2030 FIFA World Cup

UK Government Commits To Support Bid To Host 2030 FIFA World Cup The UK government has committed to support a prospective bid from England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland to host the 2030 edition of football’s FIFA World Cup.

In a joint statement issued on the evening of 1st March, the countries’ respective football associations welcomed the government’s pledge of £2.8m to begin a potential bid for the showpiece event.

FIFA will formally open the bidding process for the 2030 World Cup in 2022. In the meantime, the English Football Association and its fellow national governing bodies will undertake feasibility work to assess the viability of a bid.

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Boris Johnson is reported as saying: they are very keen to bring football home in 2030 declaring that it’s the home of football, it’s the right time and it will be an absolutely wonderful thing for the country!

The £2.8m to support the bid was confirmed during the day as details continue to emerge from the 2021 budget announcements from the Chancellor Rishi Sunak.

England has not hosted the World Cup since 1966. The country submitted a bid for the 2018 World Cup but only received two out of 22 potential votes from FIFA, with Russia ultimately awarded the tournament.

A joint statement from the FA and its fellow national governing bodies said: “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.”

Other bids being lined up for the 2030 World Cup include a joint proposal from Spain and Portugal, and a separate proposal from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile. China has also expressed an interest in hosting.

The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar, while the 2026 edition will be co-hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico.

England is scheduled to host a number of matches at this summer’s rescheduled UEFA European Championships, which are still set to take place in 12 cities across the continent. Wembley will host England’s three group-stage matches, as well as a last 16 fixture, both semi-finals and the final.

There have been reports that the rate of the COVID-19 vaccination roll-out in the UK could mean that the entirety of Euro 2020 takes place in the country. Although Health Secretary Matt Hancock recently played down the suggestion, Boris Johnson has said that the UK would be open to staging more fixtures if needed, adding that we are hosting the Euros!

Euro 2020 is scheduled to run from June 11 to July 11, with other host cities to include Glasgow, Dublin, Bilbao, Amsterdam, Munich, Rome, Copenhagen, Budapest, Bucharest, Saint Petersburg and Baku.

This news follows last week’s announced roadmap for the easing of COVID-19 restrictions, which could see crowds return across England from mid-May.

Step 3 of the roadmap, which would come into effect no earlier than May 17, would see up to 10,000 people or 25% of total seated capacity, whichever is lower, allowed at large outdoor venues. Step 4 of the roadmap would come into effect no earlier than June 21 and would potentially allow larger events to take place, with no legal limits on social contact.