Spanish prime minister urged to bid to host 2030 World Cup

The president of soccer’s world governing body FIFA, Gianni Infantino, and his opposite number at the Spanish Royal Football Federation (RFEF), Luis Rubiales, paid a visit on Wednesday morning to La Moncloa prime ministerial palace to speak with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez. During the meeting, they proposed that Spain bid for the organization of the 2028 European Championship tournament, or indeed the 2030 World Cup.

If Spain were to opt for the 2030 World Cup, this would fit in with the traditional continental rotation of the locations for the tournament

If Spain were to opt for the 2030 World Cup, this would fit in with the traditional continental rotation of the locations for the tournament. After this summer’s Russia 2018, the event will be going to Qatar in 2022, and then the US, Mexico and Canada in 2026.

The last two major soccer events organized by Spain were the 1964 European Championships and the 1982 World Cup.

Among European World Cup winners, only England and Spain have organized just one World Cup. Italy hosted the 1934 and 1990 tournaments; France those of 1938 and 1998; and Germany, those of 1974 and 2006.

The last time that Spain opted to host a World Cup was in conjunction with Portugal, for the 2018 tournament.

The Euro 2020 championship will be a pan-European tournament, and will be played in cities in 12 European countries, including Bilbao in northern Spain, where group stage and quarter final matches will be held. The other 11 host locations will be London, Munich, Baku, Saint Petersburg, Rome, Copenhagen, Bucharest, Amsterdam, Dublin, Budapest and Glasgow.

Rubiales described today’s meeting with Sánchez as “cordial and productive”

The location for Euro 2024 will be chosen on September 27. The aspiring countries are Germany and Turkey.

Prime Minister Sánchez and Gianni Infantino met on August 24 during the final of the women’s Under-20s World Cup, a game that Spain lost to Japan. That was the origin of today’s meeting, which marks the second time that the FIFA president has traveled to Spain since Luis Rubiales became the head of the RFEF.

Rubiales described today’s meeting with Sánchez as “cordial and productive,” and that all three expressed their commitment to “improve together.” Infantino said how “important it is for the relationship between the government and the RFEF to be strong.”

English version by Simon Hunter.