Will the 2030 World Cup take place in Italy and Saudi Arabia?
Saudi Arabia is apparently planning an application to host the 2030 World Cup – together with Italy!
World Cup fun in the country of the Saudis? This scenario could become a reality in nine years. According to a report by The Athletic, Saudi Arabia is planning to bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
However, since the desert state alone does not expect any great chances of a successful candidacy, the Arabs apparently want to run together with Italy as host partner.
According to reports, Saudi Arabia originally planned to apply together with Morocco and Egypt to host the 2030 World Cup. This so-called MENA application (Middle East, North Africa) will probably not be entered into the race because there are concerns about the infrastructure and security in Morocco and Egypt. In addition, commercial success in these countries is not guaranteed at the level that Fifa is supposed to imagine.
Therefore the Arabs were looking for a European partner and have now apparently found what they are looking for in the country of the current European champion. As in the last European Championship final at Wembley Stadium, the race for the 2030 World Cup could lead to a duel between Italy and England. As opposed to the Saudi-Arabian-Italian alliance, England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland are also planning a joint application to host the most important football tournament.
The next two world championships have already been taken. While the final round in Qatar will take place in December 2022, the selection of host cities for the 2026 World Cup in Mexico, Canada and the USA is currently in progress. From the original 43 cities in North America, 22 are now still in the running. FIFA plans to finalize the final selection of the World Cup locations in the course of next year.
