Sports ministers of Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, and Serbia agreed on Friday to apply to jointly host the World Cup in 2030.
Meeting in Belgrade the ministers declared their country’s readiness to host the 2030 World Cup while recognizing that it would be a difficult battle.
Greece’s deputy Sports Minister George Vassiliadis pointed out that the cooperation of the four Balkan countries to host the World Cup is of wider significance and is not limited to sports.
“We are given a great opportunity that goes beyond sports. I would say that claiming a big event is just a symbolic issue. What the countries’ leaders want to show, what we want to show is that we can work together, operate harmoniously, help each other and shape together a better future for this region,” he said.
The four ministers agreed to make a detailed inventory of the facilities and infrastructure of each country which will be further discussed at a follow-up meeting to be held in December.
Football insiders say that among the favorites to host the 2030 World Cup are China, Britain-Ireland and Spain-Portugal.