Yahoo Movies Boris Johnson, UK funding 5-country bid to land 2030 World Cup
After failing to land the tournament in 2018, the British government is throwing itself back into the mix for the World Cup.
The government announced Monday that it will provide about $4 million to pursue a bid for the 2030 World Cup in a unique five-nation proposal with England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland.
“We are very, very keen to bring football home in 2030,” Prime Minister Boris Johnson told The Sun, via The Associated Press. “It’s the home of football, it’s the right time. It will be an absolutely wonderful thing for the country.”
England has hosted the World Cup once, back in 1966 when it also won the tournament for the only time. It attempted to land the 2018 bid, though lost in favor of Russia.
Qatar is set to host the next World Cup in 2022, though that has been engulfed by controversy for years. The United States, Canada and Mexico will host a joint tournament in 2026.
A decision on the 2030 games won't be made until 2024.
Who else is trying to land the 2030 World Cup?
Though it’s still early, there are several other nations and groups trying to land the World Cup in 2030.
Spain and Portugal are planning a joint bid, and UEFA is hoping to put together a “European” bid that includes the whole continent. A group of South American countries — Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile — are also trying to put together a joint bid, per the report.
China has also expressed interest in hosting, though Asia isn’t due to host another games until at least 2034 based on the current FIFA rules.
“We will continue to undertake feasibility work to assess the viability of a bid before FIFA formally open the process in 2022,” the five British Isles football associations said in a statement, via The Associated Press. “Staging a FIFA World Cup would provide an incredible opportunity to deliver tangible benefits for our nations.
“If a decision is made to bid for the event, we look forward to presenting our hosting proposals to FIFA and the wider global football community.”
More from Yahoo Sports:
