February 7 – Will Bolivia join the South American quartet of Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay in their bid for the 2030 World Cup? Argentina’s president Alberto Fernandez wants the Bolivians to be a part of the adventure.
On the day that the South Americans formalised their candidacy for the 2030 finals and played on the emotional pitch of their bid, Fernandez tweeted that that “this candidacy belongs to the entire continent” and for that reason he will “propose that our brother country Bolivia is also part of this dream”.
In 1930, Uruguay hosted the first-ever World Cup and the current quartet is employing that historical connection as a key argument in its pitch, asking for the tournament to return to “where football was born”.
In a presentation attended by Comnebol chief Alejandro Dominguez (pictured centre left), Claudio Tapia, president of the Argentine Football Association, said: “As world champions, we launch this candidacy that is the dream of all South Americans. Not just because of the centenary of the first edition, but because of the passion with which we experience football.’
“FIFA needs to come to celebrate where football was born in 1930,” added Uruguay’s national Secretary of Sports Sebastián Bauzá.
The Conmebol quartet will face stiff competition to land the hosting with Spain and Portugal considered the frontrunners as UEFA seeks to return the world’s premium football event to the continent. Saudi Arabia is weighing up a joint bid with Egypt and Greece.
The World Cup was last hosted in Europe in Russia in 2018. Brazil was the last South American nation to host a World Cup, in 2018.
The United States, Mexico and Canada will host the next World Cup in 2026 which has been expanded to 48 teams.
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