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Egypt–Greece–Saudi Arabia 2030 FIFA World Cup bid

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2030 FIFA World Cup
Bid by Egypt-Greece-Saudi Arabia 2030
Υποψηφιότητα Αιγύπτου-Ελλάδας-Σαουδικής Αραβίας 2030
عرض مصر - اليونان - السعودية لاستضافة كأس العالم لكرة القدم 2030
Tournament details
Host countries Egypt
 Greece
 Saudi Arabia
Teams48 (from 6 confederations)
Venue(s)16 (in 12 host cities)

The Egypt–Greece–Saudi Arabia 2030 FIFA World Cup bid was a joint bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup by Egypt, Greece, and Saudi Arabia.[1][2] Saudi Arabia was expected to lead the effort. Had it been successful, it would have been the first FIFA World Cup, men's or women's, to hosted in countries that are part of three different football federations (AFC, CAF and UEFA) on three continents: Asia, Africa and Europe and the first men's tournament to be held in more than one continental confederation.[3]

Background

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In recent years, the three nations have developed strong political, economic, and military ties.[4][5][6][7][8][9] The bid could have been the culmination of the alliance between the three nations, and was officially announced a few weeks before the start of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.[10] The three countries share extensive maritime borders: Egypt with Greece and Egypt with Saudi Arabia.

Bid withdrawal

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In a Sada El-Balad interview on April 8, 2023, Egypt's Minister of Youth and Sports Ashraf Sobhy stated that Egypt does not intend on submitting a bid for the 2030 World Cup.,[11] later, on June 23, 2023, the three nations announced they would not summit a bid to host the World Cup, citing the CAF's support for the Spain-Portugal-Morocco bid as a reason.[12]

Potential venues

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Map showing the bidding countries

For the 2026 FIFA World Cup, it has been confirmed that stadiums must have a capacity of at least 40,000 for group round, second round, and quarter final matches, 60,000 for the semi-finals, and at least 80,000 for the Opening Match and Final. The rules for 2030 have not been announced.

Egypt

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New Administrative Capital Cairo Alexandria
New Administrative Capital Stadium
 Capital International Stadium
(Planned) 		Cairo International Stadium Borg El Arab Stadium
Capacity: 93,440 Capacity: 84,000 Capacity: 75,000 Capacity: 86,000
class=notpageimage|
Egyptian cities
Suez Ismailia Port Said
Egyptian Army Stadium Suez Canal Stadium New Port Said Stadium
Capacity: 45,000 Capacity: 35,000 Capacity: 35,000
(Under construction)

Greece

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Athens
Olympic Stadium Agia Sophia Stadium
Capacity: 75,000 Capacity: 32,500
class=notpageimage|
Greek cities
Piraeus Thessaloniki
Karaiskakis Stadium New Toumba Stadium
Capacity: 32,112 Capacity: 41,926
(Planned)

Saudi Arabia

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Riyadh Dammam
King Fahd International Stadium Qiddiya Stadium
(Planned) 		New Dammam Stadium
(Planned)
Capacity: 68,752

(To be expanded to 80,000)

Capacity: 40,000 Capacity: 40,000
class=notpageimage|
Saudi Arabian proposed cities.
Jeddah
King Abdullah Sports City Stadium Prince Abdullah Al Faisal Stadium
Capacity: 62,345 Capacity: 40,000

Other potential venues

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Concerns

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Much like the 2022 FIFA World Cup, if this bid had been selected, the tournament would most likely be moved to the winter due to the high summer temperatures of the location.[13] There was also concern about Saudi Arabia using the tournament as part of a larger football sportswashing campaign, which has already seen the PIF take over Newcastle United, their hosting of the 2023 FIFA Club World Cup, and Cristiano Ronaldo being signed to Al Nassr FC in Riyadh. Saudi Arabia is also a member of the AFC, whose rotation would have prevented member countries from hosting World Cup until 2034. The Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis also came under fire from the opposition Syriza in 2023 after a rumored deal involving Saudi Arabia building new stadiums in both Greece and Egypt was revealed by Politico. There was also concern in Greece about paying for mega events and large sports infrastructure, as many still remember the 2004 Summer Olympics, which left many abandoned venues and was partially blamed for the country's debt crisis.[14] Additionally, with FIFA cutting the Visit Saudi sponsorship deal in April 2023 for the Women's World Cup, there would have been issues with whether or not FIFA would be willing to support the bid.[15]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Saudi Arabia Weighs World Cup 2030 Bid With Egypt, Greece". Bloomberg.com. 2022-11-29. Retrieved 2022-12-06.
  2. ^ "Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Greece launch bid for 2030 World Cup - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East".
  3. ^ Reporter, Martyn Ziegler, Chief Sports. "Saudi Arabia to launch 2030 World Cup bid alongside Egypt and Greece". The Times. ISSN 0140-0460. Retrieved 2022-09-17.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^ Yolcu, Furkan Halit (2021-12-24). "France-Greece-Saudi Arabia Alliance in the Eastern Mediterranean". Politics Today. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  5. ^ "Riyadh forges alliance with Greece to face Turkish muscle -flexing, Iran threat |". AW. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  6. ^ "How Saudi-Greek bilateral relations have gone from strength to strength". Arab News. 2022-07-26. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  7. ^ "Egypt, Greece, Cyprus boost military cooperation in EastMed region - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East". www.al-monitor.com. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  8. ^ "Greek, Egyptian, Greek Cypriot leaders reiterate their commitment to tripartite alliance". www.aa.com.tr. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  9. ^ "Saudi Arabia and Egypt Forge Closer Ties | Middle East Policy Council". mepc.org. Retrieved 2022-09-18.
  10. ^ "Πού ποντάρουν σε Αίγυπτο και Σαουδική Αραβία για Μουντιάλ τριών ηπείρων με την Ελλάδα!". 20 September 2022.
  11. ^ Kasraoui, Safaa. "Egypt Not Planning to Join Race for Hosting 2030 World Cup". Morocco World News. Retrieved 2023-05-03.
  12. ^ Atef, Rana. "KSA Withdraws from FIFA World Cup 2030 Hosting Bid". See News. Retrieved 2023-06-23.
  13. ^ Lawson, Alex (16 December 2022). "Messi business: how 'sportswashing' could land Saudi Arabia the 2030 World Cup". The Guardian.
  14. ^ "Greek PM Mitsotakis under fire over secret Saudi World Cup offer". 9 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Fifa drops controversial Visit Saudi sponsorship of Women's World Cup". Independent.co.uk. 16 March 2023.
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