FIFA President Gianni Infantino said ‘World Cups in a single country are probably a thing of the past,’ boosting Italy’s rumoured joint bid with Saudi Arabia.
The FIGC (Italian Football Federation) hinted several times that they are planning to stage bids for not just the 2028 European Championship, but above all the 2030 World Cup.
In the latter scenario, there have been many reports in the Italian media that it would be a joint bid between Italy and Saudi Arabia.
There are already close ties between the countries and their football, with the Italian Supercup played several times in Saudi Arabia, including a date yet to be confirmed for 2021 or early 2022.
During his long press conference today, FIFA President Infantino made a comment that could well reflect on Italy’s chances of landing the tournament.
“World Cups in a single country are probably a thing of the past.”
It comes after UEFA President Aleksandar Ceferin confessed having EURO 2020 hosted by several different countries was not an experiment he’d like to see repeated, as the logistical issues were extreme, especially during a pandemic.
Meanwhile, FIFA confirmed that the Club World Cup will be staged in the UAE in early 2022, after Japan pulled out due to the COVID-19 situation.
This will include Jorginho’s Chelsea, who won the Champions League.
The Club World Cup was already held in Saudi Arabia in 2009, 2010, 2017 and 2018.