The formal passage was missing, the official presentation, and for this, from this Tuesday, the joint candidacy of Uruguay, Argentina, kilos Y Paraguay as the venue for the 2030 World Cup is a fact. With the mythical Centenary Stadium of Montevideo as a setting, the president of Conmebol, the Paraguayan Alejandro Domínguez, took the lead in this ambitious project, under the banner of the motto United 2030With which South America tries to recover the maximum tournament for national teams after his trip to Brazil in 2014.

It was Domínguez himself who provided the arguments in support of the candidacy and which are based on the fact that in 2030 the World Cup will celebrate its centenary of life, so there is no better way than to celebrate it in the place where the first edition took place. played, which he had Uruguay as champion after beating the Argentina.

To make the project more profitable economically, according to the initial intention of Uruguay Y Argentina they joined kilos Y Paraguay. The organization as a whole also has a logistical justification: it is that from 2026 they will be 48 teams in the final phase, which is why we inevitably need more countries, as it will be in this edition United States, Mexico and Canada.

“It is the dream of a continent. Of a Uruguayan people, shared by three other peoples. There will be more World Cups, but 100 years will be the only time and you have to go home. The reason is more than enough because FIFA accept that this is a unique candidacy. Over the years there will be other possibilities for other continents “.said the Conmebol boss.

“We have a good relationship with UEFA. There is no need to argue. 2030 will not repeat itself.”Domínguez answered the question about the joint candidacy of Spain Y Portugal for the same World Cup, which present themselves as the best competitors. Morocco, which in principle would join the nations of the Iberian Peninsula, could be named alone, but has not yet done so officially. Likewise, United Kingdom and Ireland They ditched the idea of ​​another joint bid for the 2030 World Cup in February to focus their attention on Euro 2028.

The president of Conmebol has left strong sentences, even with Criticism ignored to the election of Qatar. “FIFA has a moral debt in recognition of those early dreamers and founders of what today stops and mobilizes the world, which is a World Cup. Silver and luxury can create eccentricity, but no one can ignore the history of the Centennial or any of the iconic stadiums that Argentina, Paraguay and Chile have“, he has declared.

At the press conference, broadcast via the official platform of the Uruguayan Football Association, Domínguez added: “This is a debt that football will have if it does not materialize. We must be reasonable. If we do not do it For our part we cannot only resort to sentimentality. Countries must be able to be hosts. “

With Claudio Chiqui Tapia in Europe together with the Argentine youth teams participating in the L’Alcudia tournament, the AFA representative by invitation was Rodolfo D’Onofrio, one of the vice presidents of the house. There were also sports-related officials from every country, including Mattia Lammens, as Minister of Sport and Tourism of the Nation.

The rest? The National Secretary of Sport of Uruguay, Sebastian Bauza; the Chilean minister of sport, Alessandra Benado; and that of Paraguay, Diego Galeano. Also the president of the Paraguayan Football Federation (FPF), Robert Harrison; and that of the National Professional Football Association (ANFP) of Chile, Pietro Miland.

“For those of us who feel football as a passion, being here with the feeling of being able to organize the next World Cup is very important”Bauza said.

And he added: “For this we have to work hard. We have a very big challenge together with the presidents of the Federation. We have to dream of something very important for the four countries that dream of having a World Cup in the region (…) We have a lot to work on. Being together will be what will give us the structure to present ourselves to FIFA as organizers of the next World Cup ”.

The fact that the organization is presented jointly makes it more economically and structurally viable. “Since there are 48 teams and 14 stadiums are needed, it is very onerous to think of making a single application for each country. A joint candidacy makes it possible for this project to become a reality, “said the former president of the APF.

Although the project is to be officially presented to FIFA in May 2023 and that the organization will only vote for the 2030 World Cup venue in 2024, this would be an important step for South American sports and political authorities in their desire to undertake the world south of the continent.