Saudi Arabia is reportedly planning to announce a joint bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup alongside Greece and Egypt. The Times has reported that an announcement by Saudi authorities is “imminent,” adding that Saudi Arabia would be the lead partner, contributing at least to the infrastructure costs endured by the other hosts. None of the three countries have previously hosted the FIFA World Cup. Should the three-nation bid be successful, the tournament would likely again take place in the winter to avoid the high summer temperatures in the region at that time of year. This year’s tournament, hosted by Qatar, will take place in November and December for the first time ever for the same reason, leading to a disruption of the European leagues’ traditional schedule. A South American bid from Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay has already been launched for 2030 and is rivaled by a bid involving Spain and Portugal. The 2026 edition will be held in Canada, Mexico and the U.S. With Asia hosting the event in 2022 and North America in 2026, that leaves the 2030 host opportunity to other continents. A final decision by FIFA for the 2030 edition will be made in 2024.

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