Post-War World Cup? Ukraine to Co-Host 2030 World Cup with Spain and Portugal

On the 5th (local time), the presidents of the football associations of Portugal, Spain, and Ukraine met, looking at each other and smiling.
[Image source=Reuters Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Jeong Hyunjin] "The 2030 World Cup hosting will be a dream for survivors who lived through the fear of war."

Ukraine officially announced on the 5th (local time) that it will jointly bid to host the 2030 World Cup along with Spain and Portugal. If selected as the host in the 2024 member vote, Ukraine will hold the World Cup 12 years after Russia hosted it.

According to AP News and others, Andriy Pavelko, president of the Ukrainian Football Association, held a press conference in Nyon, Switzerland, with the presidents of the Spanish and Portuguese football associations and made this announcement. He emphasized, "It is the dream of millions of Ukrainian (football) fans," adding, "It is the dream of those living in fear of war or still in occupied territories who believe they will soon be able to wave the Ukrainian flag."

Pavelko stated that Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky supports the bid to host this World Cup. He said, "President Zelensky said organizing a major tournament should be the next step and has actively supported this," adding, "We believe football is a great opportunity to bring Ukrainians back to normal life."

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) will select the 2030 World Cup host through a vote by about 200 member countries in 2024. Ukraine is partnering with Spain and Portugal, who have been preparing for more than three years. Their competitors are a South American coalition of Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay, who are also pursuing a joint bid. Bloomberg also reported that Saudi Arabia is preparing a bid.

Luis Rubiales, president of the Spanish Football Association, said, "This is no longer just an Iberian challenge but a European challenge," adding, "Our collaboration shows the power football holds in our society."

The three national association presidents did not specify how many of the 48 matches in the World Cup would be held in which Ukrainian cities. However, currently, Ukraine has the 70,000-seat Olympic Stadium in its capital, Kyiv. This stadium hosted the 2012 European Championship and the 2018 Champions League final.

Bloomberg reported, "A symbolic victory for Ukrainian football would be holding World Cup matches at the Donbas Arena in Donetsk, which was occupied before Euro 2012." Pavelko said it is unclear how much damage the 52,000-seat stadium has sustained but added, "There will be enough time to repair it."

Earlier, despite Russian airstrikes, Ukraine held its professional football league in August. Although fans could not attend the stadium and air raid alerts during matches forced players and officials to evacuate due to the war's aftermath, Bloomberg reported it was a popular success.