The expression of interest of the football federations of Portugal, Spain and Morocco in hosting and organizing the final stage of the 2030 FIFA World Cup was announced this Monday at the FIFA headquarters in Zurich, Switzerland.
The document, signed on Saturday by the federations of Portugal, Spain and Morocco, was handed over to FIFA officials who will oversee the nomination process for the 2030 World Cup, the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said.
The presentation of the document comes two days after the presidents of the Portuguese (FPF), Fernando Gomes, the Spanish (RFEF), Pedro Rocha and the Moroccan (FRMF) Fouzi Lekjaa officially signed their document at a ceremony held at the Mohammed VI Complex in Rabat.
The presentation of the official letter of intent was the first formal step towards the joint candidacy of Portugal, Spain and Morocco, which would unite countries from two continents for the first time and was already declared by FIFA as the only eligible candidacy on 4 October. .
The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be split between six countries in an unprecedented way, as it will be disputed over three matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay to celebrate the centenary of the competition, the first edition of which was held on Uruguayan soil in 1930.
The only World Cup co-hosted so far was between South Korea and Japan in 2002, and the next championship, scheduled for 2026, will be the first to feature three countries including Canada, Mexico and the United States.
The Da Luz Stadium, with a capacity of about 65 thousand spectators, the José Alvalade Stadium in Lisbon and the Dragao Stadium in Porto, with a capacity of about 50 thousand seats, are the only national stadiums that meet the FIFA Requirements for hosting World Cup matches.
Portugal will make its debut in organizing World Cups after having already hosted the 2004 European Championship, while Spain hosted Euro 1964 and the 1982 World Cup and Morocco only hosted the African Cup of Nations (CAN) in 1988, provided that it will happen again in 2025.
Author: Lusa
Source: CM Jornal
I’m Dave Martin, and I’m an experienced journalist working in the news industry. As a part of my work, I write for 24 News Reporters, covering mostly sports-related topics. With more than 5 years of experience as a journalist, I have written numerous articles on various topics to provide accurate information to readers.