Argentina, Chile, Paraguay, and Uruguay have submitted a joint bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
The South American nations called on the world football governing body FIFA to allow the World Cup to return to “where football was born”.
The first edition of the prestigious Mundial was held in Montevideo, Uruguay, in 1930, but the four nations are hoping it comes back to the region a hundred years later.
They will have to battle with other football powerhouses, as a joint bid from Spain and Portugal was already confirmed, and there have been reports of possible bids from Morocco and Saudi Arabia.
During a ceremony at the Argentine Football Association (AFA), Alejandro Dominguez, President of the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL), said: “The 2030 World Cup is not just another World Cup, it deserves a celebration with recognition for 100 years.”
“We are convinced that FIFA has an obligation to honour the memory of those who came before us and believed in greatness and made the first World Cup,” he added.
The president of the AFA, Claudio Tapia, echoed Dominguez’s belief that the tournament should return to South America.
He said: “As world champions, we carry out this launch which is the dream of all South Americans. Not only on the centenary of the first edition, but because of the passion with which we live football.”
Argentina last hosted the World Cup in 1978. The three-time winners won the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, breaking a 36-year drought.
Two-time winners Uruguay hosted and won the first World Cup in Montevideo in 1930; Chile also previously hosted in 1962; and Paraguay is the only country of the four not to have had the honour of being hosts.
Argentina’s President Alberto Fernandez also released a statement on his official Twitter channel saying the bid is from the whole South American region, and he revealed he would urge Bolivia to join them in chasing the dream.
It read: “Our Argentine national team brought the World Cup to our continent and it would be a great joy if, 100 years later, the World Cup returns to where it all began”
“This candidacy is from the entire continent. For this reason, I would like and I am going to propose that our brother country Bolivia be part of this dream.”
Esta candidatura es de todo el continente. Por eso, me gustaría y voy a proponer que nuestro país hermano #Bolivia sea parte de este sueño.
— Alberto Fernández (@alferdez) February 7, 2023
FIFA is expected to announce the host of the 2030 World Cup in a ceremony next year. The United States, Canada, and Mexico will co-host the 2026 World Cup.
It will be the second time the US will host the World Cup, with their first being in 1994, while Mexico will be the host for the third time, making them the nation with the most hosting duties in the history of the Mundial.
