Ukraine To Join Spain And Portugal In 2030 FIFA World Cup Bid

War-torn Ukraine will join Spain and Portugal in a bid to host the 2030 World Cup, presidents from the three countries' football associations announced on Wednesday. The original proposal was made public two years ago but has been given a political impetus by Russia's invasion of Ukraine. "The institutional headquarters are in Madrid, the administrative headquarters are in Lisbon. Now the Ukrainian delegation will unite with us," the Spanish football association's (RFEF) president Luis Rubiales said.

"In the coming months, we will come to work on practicalities," he added.

RFEF, which organised the 1982 edition, said in a statement the idea was backed by UEFA president Aleksander Ceferin.

"The Royal Spanish Football Federation and the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) have incorporated the Ukrainian Football Association (UAF) into the Iberian Bid to organise the 2030 World Cup," RFEF said.

"With the full support of Aleksander Ceferin, the Iberian bid incorporates the federation chaired by Andriy Pavelko in order to build bridges and project a message of unity, solidarity and generosity from all of European football," it added.

Portugal held the 2004 European Championship while Ukraine was a joint host with Poland of Euro 2012.

"The example of tenacity and resilience set by the Ukrainian people is inspiring," the FPF said.

The FPF added that the joint bid "aims to contribute through the power of football to the recovery of a country undergoing reconstruction".

It added the terms of Ukraine's role in the bid "will be discussed and defined in due course".

It follows the announcement last month from an Egyptian official that Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia are in talks to jointly host the 2030 World Cup.

In August,