FA Of Ireland To Join Home Nations World Cup Bid

The FA of Ireland "is set to join England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland" in launching a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, according to John Fallon of the LONDON TIMES. All the nations except Ireland "were already in discussions about the move" but the FAI on Wednesday confirmed it added its name to the ticket, "which in the first instance will involve a feasibility study." UEFA President Aleksander Ceferin said that the five-nation bid will "be the only expression of interest from Europe." He said that it is "time for that part of Europe to get the World Cup" (LONDON TIMES, 9/20). The BBC reported the 2030 World Cup "is the next in which a European venue is a viable option." The discussions among the five FAs "are known to be exploratory as opposed to confirmation of a definite bid." FA of Wales CEO Jonathan Ford said in August, "This is something that has come up in conversation and it is something we are looking into" (BBC, 9/19).