Ukraine joins Spain, Portugal in 2030 World Cup bid

Nyon, Switzerland, Oct 5 (EFE).- Ukraine has joined up with Spain and Portugal’s bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup, the heads of the national football associations confirmed Wednesday, saying it served as a message of hope amid Russia’s war.

Spain and Portugal have been working on the Iberian bid for the last three years, offering venues such as Real Madrid’s Santiago Bernabéu, FC Barcelona’s Camp Nou and Sporting and Benfica’s Estádio da Luz.

The head of the Spanish football federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, Portugal’s FPF, Fernando Gomes, and Ukraine’s UAF, Andriy Pavelko, announced the bid in a joint news conference at UEFA’s headquarters Nyon.

“I’m sure that all of Spanish society would be proud of the important legacy that this candidacy would leave in history,” Rubiales said.

“Each one of us represents our country separately, but together we can represent the transformative power that football can have on society.”

More details on how Ukraine would fit into the Iberian bid would be offered in the coming months.

Ukraine’s national team has been hosting games in Poland since Russia launched its full-scale invasion of its smaller neighbor. EFE

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