World Cup 2030: Government would back UK, Ireland bid

The UK government says it would back a joint bid to host the 2030 Fifa World Cup in the UK and Ireland.

Prime Minister Theresa May watched England play France at the Stade de France in June 2017.

The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland are considering putting forward a proposal to stage the tournament.

May said: “The decision on whether to bid is for the football associations to make.

“If they decide to go forward, they can count on this government’s full support.”

The football associations of England and Wales released statements on Friday confirming the five national governing bodies are “in discussions about the feasibility of bidding to be the European candidate” to host the event.

The last major men’s football tournament played in the UK was the 1996 European Championship, which England hosted 30 years after staging its only World Cup.

Wembley will host seven games – including the final and semi-finals – of Euro 2020, and the FA has made a bid to host the European Women’s Championship in 2021.

England failed in a bid – fronted by former captain David Beckham, Prince William and former Prime Minister David Cameron – to host the 2018 World Cup, which went to Russia,National Daily learnt.

Although England felt aggrieved by that bidding process, but it is thought the FA has been encouraged by the greater transparency around the recent vote for the 2026 World Cup, which was won by a joint United States, Canada and Mexico bid.

However, there is expected to be a strong joint bid from Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay, with 2030 marking the 100-year anniversary of the first World Cup in Uruguay.