Ireland and UK likely to bid to co-host 2030 World Cup

Irish and British football fans can rejoice as Ireland and the UK’s bid to co-host the 2030 World Cup seem increasingly likely.

Good news: The chances of an Irish and British bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup have dramatically improved.

After presenting his findings from a feasibility study on the topic at the Euro 2020 draw in Bucharest, Ireland football team general manager Tom Mooney noted that he would be “very surprised if there’s not a very credible bid from Great Britain and Ireland”.

The bid has backing from authoritative figures

This comes after a joint home nations bid for the 2030 World Cup was given full backing by UEFA’s president, Aleksander Ceferin, in August last year.

“The infrastructure in the UK is very good and in a way if more countries bid there is more chance to win. I think after all these years it’s time for that part of Europe to get the World Cup. I don’t doubt the quality of the bid,” explained Ceferin.

This kind of widely publicised endorsement of a possible bid by Ceferin, the most powerful man in international football in Europe, was already a huge boost to the joint bid.

UK Sport, a funding body which advises the British government on which bids to back, also announced last year that hosting the 2030 World Cup in Britain would be a “crowning achievement.”

But these huge endorsements have now been amplified even further by Mooney’s findings.

“The feasibility study is positive and there’s a sense that the right thing to do is go forward,” he stated.

It would allow matches to be played throughout Ireland and the UK

The Times also reported the joint bid, if successful, would allow matches to be played in several English cities, alongside Cardiff, Glasgow and Dublin. Mooney hopes that Croke Park will be available as one of the two Dublin venues alongside the Aviva stadium, with the final to be staged at London’s Wembley Stadium.

Joint bids are not unheard of in international football competitions. We only have to look at Japan and South Korea hosting the 2002 World Cup, or Belgium and the Netherlands shared hosting duties during Euro 2000.

Despite the optimism, Ireland and the UK still face tough competition

If Ireland and the UK decide to go ahead with the bid, they will still receive some staunch opposition even with their growing support.

A number of other countries have signalled their intent to stage the event, including a four-way team bid between Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile. This bid could hold sentimental value given that Uruguay hosted the very first World Cup tournament 100 years prior in 1930.

It has been reported that Colombia, Peru, and Ecuador could team up to make a second South American bid.

It is also expected that China will be bidding to host the 2030 World Cup, as there have already been reports from the South China Morning Post indicating a trial run bid ahead of their bid to host the 2034 edition of the World Cup.

We remain hopeful that the joint bid between Ireland and Britain will go through, but in the meantime, both countries will continue to meet stiff opposition.