Football: Fifa proposes Israel and neighboring states to host the 2030 World Cup

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The Teddy Stadium in Jerusalem.

Fifa considers a World Cup in the Middle East to be possible

Photo:

imago sports photo service

According to Israeli sources, FIFA President Gianni Infantino has proposed a World Cup in Israel and other countries in the region for 2030.

These should be led by the United Arab Emirates, said the office of Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett after a joint meeting.

It was therefore the first visit of the President of the World Football Association to Israel.

However, it is unclear how promising such considerations are for a joint event.

It was only in September of last year that Israel and the UAE signed an agreement to establish diplomatic relations.

Previously, only two Arab states, the neighboring countries Egypt and Jordan, had diplomatic relations with Israel.

For decades, Arab states denied relations with Israel until the conflict with the Palestinians was resolved.

The mutual opening of diplomatic missions between Israel and the UAE was the result of years of diplomatic efforts.

Israel and the Emirates expect economic benefits from their rapprochement, but they are united above all by concerns about Iran's activities in the region; behind the scenes, the states have been cooperating on security issues for a long time. Israel is at war with its two neighboring states, Syria and Lebanon. In June, Israeli Foreign Minister Jair Lapid said he wanted to make peace "with all his neighbors."

Israel has only been able to qualify for the final round of a soccer World Cup once, in 1970. If it were held in your own country, you would probably qualify as a host.

“You have to have visions, dreams and ambitions,” said Fifa President Infantino at a panel discussion of the “Jerusalem Post” and referred to the normalization process between Israel and the United Arab Emirates.

"So being a co-host is an option."

Several countries want to host it

The South American countries Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile are also planning a joint application for the tournament in nine years.

The four British associations are also preparing a candidacy together with Ireland, as Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced in the spring.

Portugal and Spain had already officially registered their interest, and China is also considered a possible applicant.

The tournament is scheduled to be awarded in 2024.

After the World Cup in Qatar in November 2022, the 2026 World Cup will take place in the USA, Canada and Mexico for the first time with 48 nations.

Fifa had recently brought up the idea of ​​holding the World Cup every two years from 2028, but these plans had provoked criticism in Europe and South America.

hba / dpa / sid