Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, Uruguay Submit Joint 2030 FIFA World Cup Bid
Officials from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay launched a collective bid on Tuesday to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will take place exactly a century after the inaugural tournament was held in Montevideo, Uruguay.
Facts
- Officials from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay launched a collective bid on Tuesday to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, which will take place exactly a century after the inaugural tournament was held in Montevideo, Uruguay.
- If FIFA approves these nations' bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, it will be the second time the soccer event has taken place in Uruguay, Chile, and Argentina, who hosted the 1930, 1962, and 1978 World Cups respectively.
- Following the announcement, Argentine Pres. Alberto Fernández tweeted that neighboring Bolivia will be invited to join the South American quartet's candidacy.
- While the region is steeped in soccer culture and history, it lacks the modern stadia and infrastructure needed to host the event, and it's uncertain how such projects would be financed. For example, current world championship nation Argentina is locked out of international markets after the country restructured its sovereign debt in 2020.
- Alejandro Domínguez, Pres. of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), stated during the ceremony at the Argentine FA headquarters that world soccer governing body FIFA has an obligation to honor the memory of those who organized the first World Cup.
- A joint bid between Portugal, Spain and Ukraine to host the 2030 tournament has already been formalized, while bids from Morocco in isolation, and Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia collectively, are reportedly moving ahead. FIFA will make their final decision next year.
Sources: Al Jazeera, BBC News, The Athletic, Bloomberg, Reuters, and Washington Post.
Narratives
- Narrative A, as provided by ESPN. This joint bid may be based on a strong sentimental appeal to celebrate the World Cup's centennial edition in its birthplace, but sentiment is all these countries can offer. Besides the fact that carrying out all the work necessary to make this bid feasible in six years would be too expensive and risky for a region that faces dire economic problems, South America recently hosted the 2014 tournament and the Western Hemisphere will host the 2026 edition.
- Narrative B, as provided by Sports Pro. Though the European bid to host the 2030 World Cup may be the only one combining modern sports infrastructures with economic rationality, FIFA should vote to return the tournament to its roots if the body is really seeking to close the gap between Europe and the rest of the world. A World Cup alone is not enough, but it would be a great start to ensure a more competitive and global sport.
- Nerd narrative, as provided by Metaculus. There's an 80% chance that Brazil will win the FIFA World Cup by 2050, according to the Metaculus prediction community.
