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Sport

Bid for Wales to host World Cup 2030 matches set to be dropped in favour of Euro 2028

By NationCymru
Wales celebrate Euro 2016 success. Picture by Jeremy Segrott (CC BY 2.0)

A bid for Wales to host matches at the 2030 World Cup is set to be dropped in favour of co-hosting Euro 2028 instead.

The FAW had been set to bid for the World Cup alongside the football associations of the Republic of Ireland and others within the UK.

However, a formal announcement is expected today that a British and Irish bid for the 2030 World Cup today has been dropped, according to the Times newspaper.

Instead, they will meet this morning to announce a joint bid in favour of a joint bid for the Euros in six years instead.

Senior figures in Uefa want to focus on Spain and Portugal's joint bid for the 2030 World Cup, the newspaper said, while England's last bid for the World Cup ended in ignominy after they only won two of 22 votes.

If the 2028 Euro bid is successful it will be the first time Wales will have hosted matches in the tournament. Most matches and the final would be expected to go to England however.

Wales had bid to host matches in Cardiff at the 2020 Euros, but UEFA chose London's Wembley over the Principality Stadium.

Italy, Russia and Turkey have also shown an interest in hosting Euro 2028.

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19 comments

GW Atkinson

Having England in the bid has just killed it. Look at their racism, bigotry and disgraceful behaviour only just last year when they had a load of Euros games. Why are we attaching ourselves to their already failed bid? They are toxic.

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Rob

England is not the only country with racism and bigotry. Turkey has a human rights issue, and I don't think I Russia would be a popular choice given the recent events in Ukraine.

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Lionel Asher

"England is not the only country with rascism and bigotry..." Plenty of it in Wales as well.

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In reply to Lionel Asher

George

I agree that we in Wales are a work in progress but, thankfully, thus far there have been fewer overall and fewer high profile incidents relating to football.

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Lionel Asher

Would that be the multi racial young dynamic England team that reached the final while bigoted Welsh nationalists did the usual "Oh, the Cymry are closer to their Italian brothers" toadying? The biggest drop in racial abuse of black English welsh players by the Welsh fans didn't even drop that much when one of them (Ashley Williams) captained the team. You live in your Nation.Cymru delusion of superiority if it helps, but the reality is far from the same.

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Johnny Gamble

Don't tar all Welsh Nationalists as bigots.You sound like a bigot yourself with those comments.Ironic that you seem to forget the online abuse of Black English players who missed the penalties in the Penalty shoot out.

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In reply to Johnny Gamble

Lionel Fensch

Abused solely by English people? Nah I have heard too many "Better black than Jack" chants to fall for this faux superiority.

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Pob lwc

Spot on. Bigotry and Welsh Nationalism seem to go hand in hand, and nowhere is it more obvious than in professional sport.

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In reply to Pob lwc

Rob

How is it more obvious in sport? If your referring to those supporting 'anyone but England' that's more about rivalry than bigotry or racism.

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In reply to Rob

Pob lwc

"It's just rivalry" is a handy cover for the bigots, who feel genuine hatred towards anyone who is different to them. It's not just the English - there's a strong streak of anti-foreigner and anti-gay bigotry in Welsh sport.

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In reply to Pob lwc

Rob

So are Liverpool fans bigoted when they are cheering against Man Utd? What about this advert BBC Wales produced a few years ago?.... https://youtu.be/WIpu1Kmhq94 Some of my English friends were happy to see Ireland hammer us on Saturday, to be honest I couldn't care less. Anti-gay or anti-foreigner rhetoric is a problem that exists everywhere not just in Wales, or England. Throwing accusations of bigotry when there isn't any, downplays the seriousness of bigotry. That applies to people on the left and on the right.

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In reply to Pob lwc

Conscientious Objector

And this is how the Normans succeeded in conquering Wales. Why continue sabotaging Cymry empowerment?

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Quornby

Any "British" bid will be seen in the world as an English bid..... And what would our wonderful stadium and fans get? A group match at best..... Even our name would disappear from reportage.

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Pob lwc

Preemptive victimhood. Why do Nationalists always try and do our country down?

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George

While World Cup bid officially involved Northern Ireland there is already recognition that they don't have a big enough stadium to host and therefore all Irish games would be in the Republic. Toulouse had capacity of 33,150 so I wonder if Euros have same requirements of stadium size and would that allow an expanded Swansea stadium to host as well? Ten stadiums only so presume that we'd only get one in Wales with 6 or 7 being from England. Wiki has page on who else is in the running: UEFA Euro 2028 bids - Wikipedia Potential Scandinavia plus bid looks fun.

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Y Cymro

What's the point. Wales will hold one or two matches, if that, involving minor teams where Ireland & Scotland will have mid ranking teams with England getting the three lions share with Germany, Spain & Italy including other top tier teams playing in venues around England, which will also include the semi & final at Wembley. Another stitch up done to Wales by UEFA as done with our Euro 2020 fixture farce. Just look at today's news on the matter. Anglocentric from start to finish. We saw interviews involving former England manager. Had excerpts from David Beckham & Prince William quoting their Englishness in clips from when England, not Britain, attempted with a lot of FA & Whitehall sweetness to secure a world cup tournament but failed. If this tournament is won will see Ireland's tricolour flown alongside the Union Flag. The Ddraig Goch will be excluded. Boris Johnson will spend hundreds of millions in England upgrading their infrastructure while giving consequential spend to NI & Scotland and Wales will receive nothing as the infrastructure spend will be put as an English & Welsh FA build and we'll have quislings in Wales say how this will leave a legacy. Yeah, sure. Remember the Olympics legacy lol. Do me a favour!

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Lionel Fensch

Would it help you take a break from your endless negativity to mention: Teams play where they are drawn England wins more games in qualifying so they become seeded So England seeded - London.

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Rob

We would be guaranteed qualification. Bale and Ramsey will be long retired by 2028.

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Quornby

Now where would the final be I wonder?

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Replying to Conscientious Objector Cancel

And this is how the Normans succeeded in conquering Wales. Why continue sabotaging Cymry empowerment?

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