Soccer Football – Carabao Cup Final – Chelsea v Liverpool – Wembley Stadium, London, Britain – February 27, 2022 Liverpool fan with the big screen in the background in support of Ukraine before the match Action Images via Reuters/John Sibley TPX IMAGES OF THE DAY
John Sibley Reuters
Ukraine has joined Spain and Portugal in their bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
The partnership between the three countries was confirmed by the leaders of the three countries’ football associations at UEFA headquarters on Wednesday.
“It is the dream of millions of Ukrainian fans. The dream of those who have survived the horrors of war or who are still in the occupied territories, over which the Ukrainian flag will surely fly soon,” said Andriy Pavelko, President of the Ukrainian Football Federation, at a press conference on Wednesday.
He said the move was sanctioned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine has been under full-scale invasion by Russia since February.
No details were given on how many games would be played in Ukraine, or in which cities, but Kyiv’s Olympic Stadium hosted the 2012 European Championship and 2018 Champions League finals.
“Now it’s no longer the Iberian bid, it’s the European bid,” Spanish Football Federation president Luis Rubiales said at the press conference. according to the Associated Press. “Together we represent the transformative power football has in society.”
Spain and Portugal previously announced their joint bid in June 2021. The new bid faces competition from a collaboration between Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia, and a South American bid between Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile.
FIFA will vote to choose the host in 2024.