Rabat – Greece, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt have reportedly decided to withdraw their 2030 World Cup joint hosting bid.
Converging reports have attributed the decision to efforts seeking to allow a European joint bid to win the hosting rights for the 2030 World Cup.
According to Greek City Times, discussions between Greece, Saudi Arabia and Egypt took place on Wednesday, acknowledging the strength of the EU joint bid proposed by Spain and Portugal along with Morocco.
“Consequently, the Saudi government made the choice to withdraw its bid, aligning with the prevailing sentiment,” the news outlet added.
The outlet also recalled the economic crisis that Greece and Egypt are facing despite Saudi Arabian pledges to help finance the development of the two countries’ sports infrastructure.
“Despite Saudi Arabia’s offer to invest in the required infrastructure, Greece has opted to decline the opportunity. Similarly, Cairo has also declined Saudi Arabia’s request due to similar reasons,” the Greek media argued.
The withdrawal means more chances for Morocco’s joint bid with Spain and Portugal.
The North African country announced its decision to race for the World Cup hosting rights on March 14. Morocco has been attempting to host the tournament since 1994, but hopes to fare better this time around following the national team’s strong showing at the 2022 edition of the tournament.
“This joint bid, which is unprecedented in football history, will bring together Africa and Europe, the northern and southern Mediterranean, and the African, Arab and Euro-Mediterranean worlds,” King Mohammed VI said on the joint bid.
Many have since expressed support for Morocco’s bid, including the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
Egypt has previously announced that it is unable to bid for the hosting of the World Cup tournament.
In an interview with Sada El Balad in April, Egyptian Minister of Sports Ashraf Sobhy said that his country is not intending to submit any application to host regional or international sports tournaments, including the 2030 World Cup.
Sobhy stressed that Egypt is focusing and studying hosting tournaments in future periods.
