Ukraine, together with Spain and Portugal, is submitting a joint application to host the final part of the 2030 FIFA World Cup. This was stated by President of the Ukrainian Football Association Andriy Pavelko at a briefing with President of the Portuguese Football Federation Fernando Gómez and President of the Royal Spanish Football Federation Luis Rubiales in Nyon (Switzerland) on October 5, - the official website of the UAF reports.
"The football federations of Portugal and Spain have attracted Ukraine to the bid to host the 2030 World Cup. Both associations announced their desire to UEFA, which immediately expressed its full support.The example of the tenacity and sustainability of the Ukrainian people is inspiring, which is why this initiative aims to contribute to the reconstruction of the country during the recovery period through the power of football", - Pavelko, Gómez and Rubiales said in a joint statement.
The conditions for Ukraine's participation in the application will be discussed and determined later. The coordinating committee for preparing the application for hosting the 2030 World Cup, headed by António Laranjo, will also include representatives of Ukraine.
"Football is an important social phenomenon for Ukraine. Therefore, we are pleased to join the European bid to host the World Cup", - Pavelko said.
According to The Times British newspaper, the idea was approved by President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky and was supported by the governments of Spain and Portugal.
Spain and Portugal initially planned to submit a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup together, but agreed to give Ukraine the group stage matches of one of the groups.
The initiators of Ukraine joining the application are convinced that Ukraine in 2030 will meet the security criteria necessary for holding the tournament and will recover after the war with russia.
Let us recall that earlier, President of the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) Andriy Pavelko stated that the russian national team would not take part in the selection for Euro 2024.