World Cup
World Cup 2030 bid race down to straight fight between Iberia/Morocco and South America
KEIR RADNEDGE – AIPS FOOTBALL DELEGATE
The contest to host the 2030 World Cup finals has been definitively narrowed down by apparent confirmation that Saudi Arabia has pulled out of the always-doubtful proposal for a bidding partnership with Egypt and Greece.
Saudi interests had always appeared, sensibly, to focus on the 2034 finals because rivals from Europe and South America both have strong claims to the centenary Cup in 2030 and because of the rotation concept which denies a confederation staging more than one tournament in three.
Qatar, also from the Asian co-federation, staged the finals last November and December. Further, the Saudis will have noted the virulent criticism and negative publicity which rained down on those finals over issues such as human rights, working conditions, LGBTQ and onsite availability – or lack of it – of alcohol.
Simultaneously FIFA announced that the vote of an extraordinary congress next year on the 2030 host had been pushed back from autumn to possibly December.
This suggested that FIFA president Gianni Infantino is hoping to broker some sort of a deal between the two bids left standing – Europe’s Spain/Portugal/Morocco proposal and the four-way South American offering from Uruguay, Argentina, Chile and Paraguay.
CEFERIN CLAIM Aleksander Ceferin, president of the European Federation, has always insisted that 2030 must be the turn of Europe whose last hosting was in Russia in 2018; by contrast the South American bid appeals to the romantic soul of the game since the inaugural finals were held in Uruguay in 2030.
The South American bid faces serious problems over its unwieldy nature and the fact that the Uruguayans would need a new main stadium since the historic Centenario – which saw the first final – falls a long way short of the infrastructure criteria demanded for a modern World Cup. As a national monument there is no chance of the venue being razed and rebuilt.
Hence speculation that, behind the scenes, the 2030 World Cup might be awarded to Spain and Portugal but with the Opening Match being staged in Buenos Aires and the eve-of-finals congress and event ‘party’ being awarded to Uruguay.
As for decision timing, a FIFA statement said:
To ensure additional consultation with all key stakeholders, in relation to the FIFA World Cup 2030™, which will mark the centenary of men’s football’s showpiece tournament, the FIFA Council [has] agreed to postpone the formal launch of the bidding process.
Therefore, the relevant Bidding Regulations will be presented for approval at the next FIFA Council meeting, due to take place in September/October 2023, with the bidding process to be officially launched thereafter.
The expected appointment of the host(s) by the FIFA Congress will also move from [the third quarter of] 2024 to [the fourth quarter] of 2024.
The FIFA Council also approved the Overview of Hosting Requirements for the FIFA World Cup 2030™, which was prepared by the FIFA administration to allow all interested member associations to better understand the requirements for hosting the competition, including with regard to the required infrastructure, the legal framework that must be established and the environmental and social objectives that should be pursued.
With just a year to go until the 2026 FIFA World Cup kicks off in the United States, concerns are mounting over the impact of extreme summer heat on players and fans.
According to experts interviewed by the BBC, FIFA may be forced to adjust match schedules drastically—possibly even staging the World Cup final as early as 9 a.m.—to mitigate the risks posed by soaring temperatures.
The warnings follow sweltering conditions witnessed during recent international and Club World Cup matches held in the U.S., where athletes and spectators alike were exposed to intense heat and humidity.
One of the leading voices raising the alarm is Professor Mike Tipton, an expert in thermal physiology at the University of Portsmouth. Speaking to BBC Sport, he emphasised the potential health risks of playing in extreme conditions and recommended that matches begin as early in the day as possible.
“From a thermo-physiological point of view, for health and performance reasons, I would look to start matches as early as possible,” Tipton stated, suggesting that even the final—traditionally held in the afternoon or evening—could be moved to a morning kickoff.
Tipton went further, noting that the ideal solution would be to host the tournament during a cooler time of year, as was done with the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, which was shifted to November and December due to extreme heat.
However, with the 2026 tournament already locked in for June 11 to July 19, FIFA’s only remaining flexibility lies in scheduling match times.
The 2026 edition will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico across multiple cities, some of which are known for intense summer heat.
Health experts are urging organisers to prioritise player safety and fan well-being, warning that failing to act could lead to performance issues, heat-related illnesses, or worse.
FIFA has yet to publicly comment on any proposed changes to match schedules, but as temperatures continue to rise, pressure is mounting for the governing body to take decisive action ahead of football’s biggest tournament.
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FIFA’s Global Football Development chief Arsene Wenger acknowledged that the quality of pitches hosting Club World Cup matches in the U.S. was not good enough, but insisted it would be better when the country co-hosts the 2026 World Cup.
The pitches, often very dry and sprinkled with water during cooling breaks or at halftime, have been widely criticised, mainly by coaches and players of the European teams taking part.
“I’ve been personally on the pitch at Orlando,” former Arsenal manager Wenger said on Saturday. “It’s not at the level that the European clubs are used to because it’s not perfect, but that will be rectified for the World Cup next year.”
Paris St Germain coach Luis Enrique raised the issue early in the expanded Club World Cup tournament.
“The ball bounces like a rabbit,” Luis Enrique said after his team’s opening 4-0 win over Atletico Madrid.
“Today, for example, the field used to be artificial turf, and now it’s natural grass laid over it, which means it has to be watered manually. It’s a big problem for the way we play.”
“FIFA really needs to take this seriously. Not just the stadium fields but also the training pitches. If we’re calling this the best club tournament in the world, it should have world‑class facilities. I can’t imagine an NBA game played on a court full of holes.”
-Reuters
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Congo will be allowed to continue participating in the World Cup qualifiers despite missing two fixtures in March when they were banned, world football’s governing body FIFA said on Wednesday.
Congo were suspended from February to May because of government interference in the running of their football association (FECOFOOT) but the ban was lifted when officials returned to their positions and were handed back access to their headquarters and technical training centre.
Sports minister Hugues Ngouelondele had appointed an ad-hoc committee last year to run the association, claiming it needed to sort out disputes among association office bearers, but FIFA suspended FECOFOOT due to third-party interference, which violates its statutes.
During the ban, Congo were not allowed to participate in any international competition, which meant they did not honour 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Tanzania and Niger in March.
A FIFA spokesman told Reuters the points from those fixtures were forfeited and a 3-0 victory awarded to their opponents.
But they will continue in the qualifiers when they resume in September, even if they have no chance of qualifying.
Congo are scheduled to play Tanzania at home in September and conclude their fixtures in October with matches at Niger and Morocco.
Congo have no points in the group, which Morocco lead with 15 points, six more than Tanzania in second place.
The group winner qualifies for next year’s World Cup in North America while the runner-up has a possibility to participate in playoffs if they are among the four best second-placed teams in the nine African qualifying groups.
FIFA has taken a hard line on government interference in football matters with the likes of Chad, Kenya, Pakistan and Zimbabwe among those banned in recent years.
Congo were African champions in 1972 but have never been to a World Cup.
-Reuters
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