NYON, Switzerland (Reuters) -Ukraine has joined Spain and Portugal in their bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the Spanish Football Federation (RFEF) and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said on Wednesday.
“Our bid is not an Iberian bid anymore, it’s a European bid,” Luis Rubiales, president of the RFEF, told a news conference at the Swiss headquarters of UEFA, European soccer’s governing body.
“I’m convinced that now our bid is much better than before. Football is universal and if it is capable of changing the life of people in so many ways it should also be used for doing good,” Rubiales added.
Fernando Soares Gomes da Silva, head of the FPF, said UEFA was “fully supportive” of the decision to include Ukraine.
The Spain, Portugal and Ukraine bid for the 2030 tournament will compete against other candidacies such as a collaboration between Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia, and a joint South American proposal from Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile.
Last week marked seven months since Russian forces rolled across Ukraine’s borders in the largest military invasion in Europe since World War Two. Moscow calls its action a “special military operation” while Kyiv and its Western allies say it is an illegal land grab.
Tens of thousands of people have been killed in the conflict, millions have fled and cities and towns have been reduced to rubble.
In a statement released on Wednesday, the RFEF said: “The candidacy (of Spain, Portugal and Ukraine) strengthens ties with Europe by generating hope and providing reconstruction tools to the Ukrainian people, who have expressed their pride and gratitude for participating in this project.”
The 2022 World Cup will begin on Nov. 20 in Qatar, while the 2026 tournament will take place in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
(Reporting by Fernando KallasEditing by Gareth Jones)
