The Euro 2020 final will take place at Wembley Stadium in July 2021
Prime Minister Boris Johnson says it is “the right time” for the UK and Republic of Ireland to make a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup.
The UK government is reportedly set to pledge £ 2.8m to kick off the process on Wednesday’s budget.
The football associations of England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland are “thrilled” with the government’s commitment.
“We are very interested in bringing football home in 2030,” said Johnson.
In an interview with the sun, he added: “I think it’s the right place. It’s the home of football, it’s the right time. It’s going to be an absolutely wonderful thing for the country.
“We want to see a lot of football in the years to come.”
A feasibility study will continue before the formal application process for the World Cup in 2022 begins.
Aston Villa is a club that has full support for all offers and plans to update Villa Park to ensure it complies with Fifa guidelines for the tournament.
Villa Park has a long tradition of hosting important events, including three games at the 1966 World Cup, four 96-euro games and a total of 16 international matches. It was the first English stadium to host international matches in three different centuries, and it hosted a record FA Cup 55 semi-final and the 1999 European Cup final between Mallorca and Lazio.
A joint statement from the football federations of England, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland said: “The football federations and government partners of the United Kingdom and Ireland are delighted that the UK government has committed to support a potential offer for five federations, FIFA World Cup 2030.
“The FAs will continue to do feasibility work to assess the feasibility of an offer before Fifa officially opens the process in 2022.
“Hosting a FIFA World Cup would be an incredible opportunity to bring tangible benefits to our nations.
“When a decision is made to bid on the event, we look forward to bringing our hosting proposals to Fifa and the wider global football community.”
Johnson told the newspaper that Britain was ready to host more Euro 2020 games after the government announced plans last week to end all restrictions on social contact in England by June 21.
The euros have been postponed for a year due to the coronavirus pandemic and are now set to take place in 12 host cities this summer. It goes without saying that Uefa intends to continue the tournament in this way.
Wembley will host seven Euro 2020 games, including the final and semi-finals, while Glasgow and Dublin will also play games.
England is also hosting the postponed European Women’s Championship in 2022.
The last major men’s football tournament in Great Britain was the 1996 European Championship, which England hosted 30 years after hosting its only World Cup.
| 2006: Germany | 2018: Russia |
| 2010: South Africa | 2022: Qatar |
| 2014: Brazil | 2026: USA, Canada and Mexico |
England failed with an offer – in front of former captain David Beckham, Prince William and former Prime Minister David Cameron – to host the 2018 World Cup, which went to Russia.
World championships from 2026 will be contested by 48 teams, starting with the hosting of the tournament in the USA, Canada and Mexico.
For the 2030 competition, a joint offer from Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay is expected, while Spain, Morocco and Portugal are also considering a joint offer.
“Some will wonder if it is worth it after the humiliation of 2018” – analysis
Dan Roan, BBC Sports Editor
Government support for the idea of a UK and Ireland bid for the 2030 World Cup is nothing new.
Former Prime Minister Theresa May said in 2018 that she would be committed to running the tournament. The following year, on the eve of the general election, her successor Boris Johnson said he would put his “heart and soul” behind such an offer. Now he has repeated this message.
Ministers are known to be keen to host as many major sporting events as possible to help spread the word about Britain in the post-Brexit era. As London, Glasgow and Dublin will host Euro games this summer, a World Cup offer will be supported.
Others, however, will wonder if it makes sense to use public money after England’s last bid for the 2018 World Cup ended in humiliation and received just two votes despite £ 21million.
After its major corruption scandal, Fifa has reformed the way it chooses hosts, with more transparency and every national association that gets a vote, not just its executive committee. But even if this seems to increase the odds for the UK and Ireland, there are other hurdles to overcome.
Uefa’s support is seen as essential. But its President, Aleksander Ceferin, has said that he is only in favor of an offer from Europe and that a joint effort by Spain and Portugal is being prepared.
The FA has been on a spell offensive in recent years to combat perceptions of English arrogance and Johnson’s recent reference to football coming home may not have helped build bridges.
Regardless of which offer Uefa supports, it would face stiff competition from an expected joint South American effort from Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile.
Marking the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup in Uruguay in 2030, many believe this would be an appropriate choice, despite concerns about infrastructure and stadiums.
China would also be a formidable opposition if Fifa changed its hosting rotation policy to allow another Asian World Cup so soon after the tournament was held in Qatar next year.
