World Cup bid
Irish officials taking part in feasibility study to explore if five-nation proposal is viable
THE FAI ‘is open to joining a bid’ for the 2030 World Cup. British football chiefs have invited the FAI to discussions about expanding their bid.
THE FAI last night confirmed that it is open to being part of a bid for the 2030 World Cup.
Football chiefs in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland have already been in talks about launching an ambitious bid for the tournament. And the FAI were asked to take part in discussions about expanding the plan to the Republic of Ireland.
A statement from Abbotstown said that “positive discussions” had culminated with agreement to move to the next phase.
“It has been agreed that the Football Association of Ireland will join the English, Irish, Welsh and Scottish FAs in conducting a feasibility review into a potential joint bid to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup,” read the brief missive.
The expansion of the competition to 48 teams from 2026 has opened up the possibility of bigger bids and UEFA president Alexsander Ceferin – an ally of FAI chief John Delaney – had spoken favourably about the idea of a bid from the region.
America, Canada and Mexico are the three co-hosts for 2026 and will all qualify automatically but it’s thought highly unlikely that FIFA would give places to five countries.
Therefore, it’s entirely possible that Ireland would still have to qualify. One complication with the UK bid was the absence of a stadium to meet the criteria in Northern Ireland.
By contrast, the Aviva Stadium and Croke Park would only need minimal alterations to conform to the standard and Dublin will have major tournament experience after Euro 2020.
There is precedent for having two stadiums in the one city so an approach to the GAA is expected to be a part of the feasibility study.
THE statement from the FAI confirming that Ireland have joined the UK’s proposed bid for the 2030 World Cup was light on specific detail. Abbotstown had refused to comment on reports in the English media at the beginning of the month which confirmed that the idea of a four-nation bid had been expanded to five.
The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have held talks about trying to bring the competition to this neck of the woods; the English are driving it.
And well-sourced news reporters explained the logic of bringing the Republic of Ireland into the equation.
There were two angles. Firstly, the view was that the Irish tint could be a vote winner. Ironically enough, Sepp Blatter touched on this during the summer.
Secondly, Northern Ireland have stadium problems, whereas there are two venues on this island that would fit criteria – the Aviva Stadium and Croke Park. Special permission would naturally be required to call on the latter.
A five-nation tilt would be unprecedented and it raises questions.
On the plus side, the quantity of prospective hosts makes this a closer relation to the successful Euro 2020 bid than the failed attempts to land Euro 2008 and the Rugby World Cup in 2023.
That 2008 pipe-dream was a two-nation bid with Scotland and reasonable concerns about the absence of Irish facilities downed it.
Similarly, the 2023 plan required a severe overhaul of stadia which weren’t even rugby venues – with the help of the government.
Obviously, it’s possible the GAA would have to get on board again here – a bid with just one Irish stadium would be odd.
They embraced the 2023 idea so they would have to mount an interesting case for saying no.
The reality is that the Dublin venues would only require sprucing up – a standing area like Hill 16 would be a no-no – rather than a costly renovation.
Maybe the feasibility study will go south – there’s Thomond Park and Páirc Uí Chaoimh too – yet there has been no mention of that in early dispatches and that would require a significant cost.
There is a spend associated with the pan-European 2020 championships – transport and other infrastructure for fans is an element of any bid, although recent World Cups have taken a liberal approach – but the Aviva Stadium already ticked most of the boxes.
On the downside, this is another competition where hosting would be unlikely to lead to an automatic spot in the tournament.
USA, Canada and Mexico will get a berth in the first three-nation tournament in 2026, but five would be a stretch.
It would be hard to sell five nations getting a pass to other voters, especially if Northern Ireland ended up with no stadium. It wouldn’t make any sense.
And while a World Cup is a step up from the European
Championships in terms of glamour, the prospect of a tournament coming here without Irish involvement is considerably less attractive.
Especially when the 48-teamtournament is going to throw up some curious early clashes.
In reality, any Irish contribution would likely be centred around the opening stages.
Come 2026, the USA are the dominant host. Sixty out of the 80 matches will take place there, including the quarter-finals, semifinals and final.
Granted, there are geographical implications which wouldn’t exist in this region, yet it’s clear that England want a central berth so expect the business end to take
Any Irish contribution would likely be centred around the opening stages
place there in any plan.
Of course, there are other obvious obstacles. A century on from the inaugural staging, Uruguay have linked up with Argentina and Paraguay and there’s a sentimental angle to that confirmed bid that is likely to be popular.
With three countries in the mix, it’s an easier fit. There’s a way to go in this race with the runners and riders set to declare their hand by 2019 and with no decision expected until 2022.
It’s a headline-grabbing story that will naturally draw intrigue, yet it’s impossible to escape the conclusion that Irish football has more pressing matters to sort out and this shouldn’t deflect from them.