The FIFA World Cup has never taken it easy on its fans with its surprises. From Saudi Arabia beating Argentina to France and Argentina facing off in the finals.
The most recent FIFA World Cup hosted in Qatar was a breathtaking tournament that left fans begging for more, and the 2030 World Cup promises to deliver.
According to most recent news sources, Saudi Arabia might be in the running to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030. This would also coincide with Vision 2030, promising a delightful experience for competitors and audiences.
Saudi: The Next Host?
According to Ali Walker of POLITICO, Saudi Arabia has offered to pay for the cost of sports stadiums in Greece and Egypt in a joint bid to host the FIFA 2030 World Cup.
According to a trusted source, Saudi Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also discussed this in more detail in a prolonged call sometime last summer.
Adding on to this, a second source said that Saudi Arabia also offered to ‘fully underwrite’ the costs for hosting for Greece and Egypt on the condition that 75% of the 48-team tournament would be held in the Gulf State.
According to Walker, it is unclear if the offer was, indeed, taken up. However, the three countries are currently working on a joint proposal to host the tournament, a move which, he notes, has triggered a wave of backlash against Greece.
There are concerns that Saudi Arabia is attempting to utilize its wealth to effectively buy the 2030 FIFA World Cup by creating a trans-continental coalition. This would allow them to take advantage of the voting system.
This successfully fulfills the goals of Vision 2030 to make Saudi Arabia a popular tourist spot. However, there are international concerns about using their wealth to co-opt the World Cup.
Competition On The Horizon
However, that isn’t to say that Saudi Arabia isn’t facing any competition. Saudi’s main rivals seem to be a joint European coalition of Ukraine, Spain, and Portugal and a joint South American coalition of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile.
The latters’ candidacy is particularly strong, according to the Chilean Minister of Sports, Alexandra Bendaro Vegara, especially after Argentina’s title in the last FIFA World Cup.
Moreover, government and soccer officials from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay, and Chile have already held their first organizing meeting, considering the popularity of this bid.
In conclusion, the 2030 FIFA World Cup is building up to be an exciting time even before the tournament starts, with promising updates from joint coalitions to decide the hosts and new faces being promised in the world cup.
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