South American countries pitch joint hosting of 2030 World Cup

Officials from Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile formally announced a candidacy to jointly host the 2030 World Cup on Tuesday. If selected, it would commemorate a century since the first tournament, which was hosted there. 

The countries, which comprise South America’s Southern Cone, proposed holding the World Cup across the region on Tuesday. Argentine President Alberto Fernández said he wanted to add Bolivia to the candidacy as well. 

Multiple countries hosting the tournament at once is rare but not unheard of. The next World Cup, in 2026, will take place in Mexico, Canada and the United States.

The first World Cup was held in Uruguay in 1930, with the hosts taking the title.

While steeped in World Cup culture and history, the southern cone lacks the modern football stadiums and infrastructure that countries like the United States or Qatar either built or already have in place to host the tournament. The countries haven’t detailed where the investment or financing would come from to build all the venues needed. Argentina, for example, is locked out of international capital markets after restructuring its sovereign debt in 2020. 

World Cup fever is running high in the region after Lionel Messi led Argentina’s national team to its first title in 36 years and the first for a South American nation in two decades. Another potential factor helping the bid is that Argentina's former president Mauricio Macri is currently a top official at FIFA, the sport’s governing body. 

FIFA will select a candidate to host the 2030 tournament at its annual congress in 2024.