(Football news) Ukraine has joined hands with Portugal and Spain for a bid to host the 2030 World Cup. Representatives of the Spanish, Portuguese and Ukrainian football associations confirmed their plans at UEFA’s headquarters on Wednesday to host the prestigious tournament. Originally, Spain and Portugal had decided to announce a joint bid but have now been joined by Ukraine who are currently facing an invasion by Russia since February that has seen thousands of troops and civilians losing their lives.

Ukrainian football association (UAF) president Andriy Pavelko said that the decision to jointly bid for the 2030 World Cup will show that European football was "united as never before". He said “I thank you on behalf of thousands of little players that were subjected to barbaric military aggression. These children were forced to leave their homes, their clubs and football schools, fleeing from bullets and shells. Many of them received your support and found shelter in various European countries. Now they can continue to play football in European clubs and have made new friends all over Europe." 

Writing on Twitter, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said “The joint bid is more than a symbol of faith in our joint victory. Ukraine will endure, prevail and be rebuilt thanks to the solidarity of its partners." The Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) said “The example of tenacity and resilience set by the Ukrainian people is inspiring. This proposal aims to contribute through the power of football to the recovery of a country undergoing reconstruction." 

FPF president Fernando Soares Gomes da Silva said: "We are convinced that by 2030 we will have peace in Europe and that Ukraine will be able to host it in the best way possible. Our bid is not an Iberian bid any more, it's a European bid. I'm convinced that now our bid is much better than before. Football is universal and if it is capable of changing the life of people in so many ways it should also be used for doing good." 

Competing for the bid to host the 2030 World Cup includes a South American proposal featuring Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and Chile as well as a collaboration between Egypt, Greece and Saudi Arabia. The RFEF have confirmed that the inclusion of Ukraine in the bid will not reduce the planned 11 venues in Spain and three in Portugal. It remains to be seen which bid will be successful but all three contingents would be an interesting choice to host one of the biggest sporting events in the world.

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