Ukraine joins Spain and Portugal’s joint bid to host 2030 World Cup

Ukraine has joined Spain and Portugal of their bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

The partnership between the three international locations was confirmed by leaders of the international locations’ three soccer federations at UEFA headquarters Wednesday.

“That is the dream of hundreds of thousands of Ukrainian followers. The dream of people that survived the horrors of battle or are nonetheless within the occupied territories, over which the Ukrainian flag will certainly fly quickly,” mentioned Andriy Pavelko, president of Ukraine’s soccer federation, at a information convention Wednesday.

He mentioned the transfer was sanctioned by Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy. Ukraine has been below full-scale invasion by Russia since February.

Particulars weren’t given on what number of video games can be held in Ukraine, or during which cities, however the Olympic Stadium in Kyiv hosted the finals of the 2012 European Championship and the 2018 Champions League.

“Now it is not the Iberian bid, it is the European bid,” Spain’s soccer federation president, Luis Rubiales, mentioned on the information convention, in keeping with the Related Press. “Collectively we symbolize the ability of transformation soccer has in society.”

Spain and Portugal beforehand introduced their joint bid in June 2021. The brand new bid faces competitors from a collaboration between Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia, and a South American bid between Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile.

FIFA will vote to decide on the host in 2024.