By Tom Lea
THE British Government have announced their intentions to submit a bid to FIFA for the right to host the 2030 World Cup.
The bid has already got the backing of the four football associations, with proposals to be made for games in Cardiff, Glasgow and Dublin as well as many English cities.
While it remains to be seen how many fixtures would be played outside England if the bid were to be successful, the bid shows solidarity which wasn’t present in England’s previous bid, for the 2018 edition of the tournament.
That bid ultimately proved unsuccessful, receiving only two votes, as the tournament was instead hosted by Russia.
An international football tournament hasn’t been held in the UK since Euro 96 was hosted in England, however there is a growing chance that Euro 2020, rearranged for this summer due to the Covid-19 pandemic, will be held across the UK.
While the formal bids do not need to be submitted to FIFA until 2022, the news will surely come as a boost for fans of international football, many of whom have never seen tournament football in this country during their lifetime.
There will surely be discussions as to potential venues, however with the tournament likely to feature 48 teams, The Principality Stadium is highly likely to host some important fixtures while there may also be a chance for games to be held at both the Cardiff City and Liberty stadiums as well.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Sun: “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.”
The bid will face competition from at least two other joint bids, with Spain and Portugal announcing their intentions, while Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay are also bidding to take the tournament back to South America.
The 2022 edition of the tournament will be held in Qatar while 2026’s hosting rights have been given to America, Mexico and Canada.