Egypt Aims to Host World Cup in 2030

Dr. Ashraf Sobhy, Minister of Youth and Sports, announced that the Ministry of Sports aims to organize the 2030 World Cup, as well as the 2032 Olympic Games, as part of the Ministry’s plan to upgrade the level of Egyptian sport in the coming period.

During a press conference, Sobhy confirmed the ministry’s plan to host the most important and biggest events in the world of sports, according to local media outlets.

The 2030 FIFA World Cup will be the 24th FIFA World Cup and a significant event  in the history of FIFA. Indeed, the 2030 would be the centenary edition as it marks 100 years after the first World Cup which had been hosted by Uruguay. As such, there have been three early bids for hosting the cup: a joint bid from Uruguay and Argentina, England and a co-bid from Morocco and Tunisia.

Egypt had qualified for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia after a thrilling match against Congo at Borg El Arab Stadium on October 8.  However, breaking the hearts of thousands of fans, Egypt exited the World Cup without a single match victory although, Essam El Hadary, made history as the oldest player to participate in the FIFA World Cup.

Following Egypt’s loss, Sobhy hinted that the ministry would investigate the Egyptian Football Association’s management and role during the international competition. Egyptian authorities were keen on investigating a list of  violations including the choice of the team’s camp in Grozny, the distraction caused by the unauthorized arrival of artists and businessmen to the team players at the camp site, the sale of tickets to matches illegally, issues of sponsorship deals and illicit gains.

Among the violations, there were two particular scandals that Egypt’s star player, Mohamed Salah, has found himself embroiled in. Firstly, the striker’s face shot on the carrier plane resulted in a scuffle between the FA and the company handling the marketing rights of the player.  Moreover, Ramzan Kadyrov, the Chechen’s president’s focus and attempts at honoring the player by granting him a an honorary citizenship was met with British media outrage.