The project can be announced this Wednesday at the UEFA headquarters in Nyon, where Luis Rubiales and Fernando Gomes will appear
Ukraine will join the joint candidacy of Spain and Portugal to host the 2030 World Cup, as revealed on Tuesday by the prestigious ‘The Times’, which indicates that the country currently at war with Russia would be in charge of hosting the matches of one of the groups in the first phase.
The British newspaper maintains that this idea has the support of the Ukrainian president, Volodímir Zelenski, and the governments of the two Iberian countries in a proposal that “takes advantage of the idea that football can restore hope and peace.”
This accolade to the European options of hosting the World Cup in eight years could be announced this Wednesday in Nyon (Switzerland), the UEFA headquarters where the Spanish Football Federation (FEF) and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) plan give a press conference to “update information” on this candidacy, with the presence of their respective presidents, Luis Rubiales and Fernando Gomes.
Far from being denied, this news has been implicitly confirmed by sources from the Spanish Football Federation. «This Wednesday there is a press conference in Switzerland with the heads of the Iberian candidacy. Everything will be seen there », they inform this medium from the Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas.
security guarantees
‘The Times’ spells out that, although security guarantees would be needed in Ukraine, it is to be expected that by the time the infrastructures are put in place to organize that World Cup, the Russian invasion will already be just a sad and tragic memory and the country will have begun its reconstruction.
It should be remembered that Ukraine already co-organized in 2012 with Poland, a border country, the European Championship that the Spanish team conquered, and after the World Cup is held this year in Qatar and in 2026 in the United States, Mexico and Canada, it has great chances to return to Europe.
In addition to the Iberian project, for the moment only that of Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile has been made official, which want to take the event to South America taking advantage of the 100 years of its first edition on Charrúa soil, while the option of another is being considered. joint bid between Greece, Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
At this point, it should be remembered that the FEF has in principle up to fifteen venues that aspire to be part of the World Cup and that, before knowing that Ukraine was going to enter the scene, they should stay at a maximum of eleven. The Santiago Bernabéu and the Metropolitano, in Madrid, aspire to overcome the cut; the Camp Nou and the RCDE Stadium, in Barcelona; La Cartuja in Seville; the New Mestalla in Valencia; San Mamés in Bilbao and Anoeta in San Sebastián, in the Basque Country; Riazor and Balaídos, in La Coruña and Vigo, in Galicia; La Romareda, in Zaragoza; El Molinón, in Gijón; La Rosaleda, in Malaga; La Nueva Condomina in Murcia and the Gran Canaria Stadium, in Las Palmas. On the Portuguese side, the Lisbon stadiums Da Luz and José Alvalade seem to be fixed, as well as Do Dragao in Porto.
This extensive list of applicants was already outlined after the first working meeting between the FEF, autonomous communities, municipalities and representatives of the clubs in the Ciudad del Fútbol de Las Rozas. “There are so many things that Spain and Portugal can show the world that we believe that a World Cup could be the best way to do it. It is a time to be united, cohesive. Here there are no political signs, here what there is is a country project and from now on what we have to do is continue working quietly, with humility, but also with a lot of optimism because we have many options to host the World Cup in 2030. We will know in May or June 2024 and we still have many things to do, but I think we are working well, “Rubiales anticipated this summer, after a work meeting.
Spain aspires to host the biggest sporting event in the world, along with the Olympic Games, almost half a century after the World Cup held in 1982, with that striking Naranjito as a mascot that veterans remember so well. A contest conquered by Italy and in which La Roja, with José Emilio Santamaría as coach, completed a very poor role by finishing in twelfth place among a total of 24 national teams.
