World Cup: Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece to proceed with 2030 bid

Saudi Arabia, Egypt and Greece ‘continue’ with their extraordinary bid to host the 2030 World Cup.

The governments of all three countries have given the green light to proceed with the application process for what would be the second winter edition of the World Cup after Qatar this year.

Most of the costs are borne by the Saudis, with most matches being played in their country.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sent the joint nomination file to a company in the United States for “processing,” according to the Greek website TO10.

Previous reports suggested an Egypt-Greece-Saudistan final would be held during the European domestic season, as temperatures in June and July would be too hot in the host countries.

Saudi Arabia would be the lead partner, contributing at least to the infrastructure costs of Egypt and Greece.

It would be held in the winter, like the upcoming tournament to be held in Qatar in November

It will be the second World Cup final with 48 teams after the tournament between the United States, Canada and Mexico in 2026 and will probably require 16 stadiums.

UEFA’s favored bid is a joint effort by Spain, Portugal and Ukraine, after a combined bid from the United Kingdom and Ireland was withdrawn.

A combined South American bid with Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile is also expected as 2030 marks the centenary of the first World Cup in Uruguay.

The report suggested there will be four venues in Greece – the OPAP Arena, Karaiskakis Stadium, Nea Toumpa and the Botanikos, a new stadium for Panathinaikos.

France are the reigning world champions who won the previous tournament in Russia

There will also be at least one new stadium in Egypt and at least two in Saudi Arabia.

Another World Cup to be held in November and December will undoubtedly meet resistance from leading European clubs.

Domestic competitions in Europe will pause between mid-November and Christmas to allow the Qatar World Cup to be played to avoid summer temperatures exceeding 40C.

It comes after Saudi Arabia won the right to host the 2029 Asian Winter Games in a £440 billion desert megacity.

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman has sent the 2030 bidding documents

The games will take place in Trojena, the city of Neom, a planned mountain resort expected to be built in 2026.

The Arab state’s bid for the games, which includes 47 different events, was “unanimously approved” by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

Trojena is part of Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman’s Neom project under the Saudi Kingdom’s Vision 2030 development plan, which aims to reduce the country’s dependence on oil and transform their economy, including by developing sports in the country.

The Arab nation has been widely criticized for engaging in sports by using high-profile sporting events to enhance its global image and divert attention from its human rights record.

Saudi Arabia has been awarded the rights to the 2029 Asian Winter Games in Trojena. to organise

Trojena is a planned mountain resort in the desert that is expected to be built in 2026

In August, Anthony Joshua fought Oleksandr Usyk in the city of Jeddah, while the divisive LIV Golf league is funded by Saudi Arabia.

They also host a Formula 1 Grand Prix on the annual calendar, while the Spanish Super Cup is held in the country.

Perhaps most notably, Saudi Arabia’s Public Investment Fund has an 80 percent stake in Newcastle United.