KEIR RADNEDGE REPORTING —- South America has stepped up its lobbying for a 2030 World Cup hosting ahead of the annual congress of international governing body FIFA in Kigali, Rwanda, next month.

The 2030 finals will celebrate the tournament’s centenary since the inaugural event in Uruguay in 2030.

Uruguay’s federation has long believed that the centenary Cup should return to Montevideo and, to cope with its expansion to 48 teams, has roped in neighbouring Argentina and Paraguay as well as Chile and even, possibly, Bolivia.

The bid faces challenging competition from a cohosting bid from Spain and Portugal on behalf of Europe. UEFA president Aleksandar Ceferin has always insisted that the 2030 tournament should return to European soil for the first time in 12 years since Russia in 2018. The 2026 finals will be staged in Canada, Mexico and United States.

Intense discussions will follow behind the scenes in Kigali. South American governing body CONMEBOL is expecting support from central and north American body CONCACAF. Spain and Portugal, on the other hand, will be pressing from African support because a similar time zone is particularly rewarding in terms of regional sponsorship and media rights.

One problem for Uruguay & Co is that the tiny state on the northern bank of the river Plate does not possess a suitable stadium for the Final itself.

The historic Centenario would need a total rebuild to meet today’s World Cup standards. An alternative would be the River Plate stadium in Buenos Aires which staged the Final in 1978. However AFA president Claudio Tapia has already stated a belief that this would stage the Opening Match.

South America’s quartet met in Buenos Aires earlier this week and pressed their belief in a historic right to the centenary finals.

CONMEBOL president Alejandro Dominguez said: “We are convinced that FIFA has an obligation to honor the memory of those who organised the first World Cup.” His comments were echoed by Uruguayan Sports Minister Sebastian Bauza who said: “FIFA must come and celebrate where we hosted the World Cup a hundred years ago.”

Alberto Fernandez, the state President of Argentina, used his country’s recent World Cup triumph in Qatar as evidence of status. He said: “Our own national team brought the World Cup back to our continent last year and it would be a great joy if, 100 years later, it returned to where it all began: South America.”

Speculation about a cross-confederation joint bid from Greece, Egypt and Saudi Arabia appears to be little more than talk. However Morocco may bid yet again, this time in partnership with Algeria.

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