March 20 – The Morocco, Portugal and Spain bid for 2030 have formally released advanced plans for hosting and the visual identity for the bid and its YallaVamos slogan – ‘for football, for the world, for tomorrow’.
The event at the headquarters of the Portuguese Football Federation (FPF) at the Cidade do Futebol in Oeiras, saw senior representatives of the Bid Committee outline what hosting the FIFA World Cup would mean for their countries and international football.
Key strengths of the bid were identified as modern football infrastructure, short travel times between the three countries, and the passion for football within each of them.
“In a world undergoing rapid and profound transformation, football cannot be left behind. It must maintain its core essence while adapting to change, evolving and innovating, particularly in terms of sustainability. The 2030 World Cup will therefore bring together the rich memory of the competition and the innovation and invention of the future! That’s our challenge!” said Fernando Gomes, president of the Portuguese Football Federation.
The bid, which is running unopposed, will see the 2030 World Cup held across two continents for the first time in its centenary year.
With that in mind the bid has as a theme “the building bridges between civilisations, offering a welcoming environment to visitors from all backgrounds and providing a lasting legacy in the areas of sustainability, innovation, investment and social impact.”
Fouzi Lekjaa, the President of the Royal Moroccan Football Federation, said: “Today marks an important milestone in the historic bid of our three countries, in accordance with the vision of His Majesty King Mohammed VI. By working together every day with our Portuguese and Spanish counterparts, we are demonstrating the value of collaboration and teamwork, and we are convinced that the world of football will benefit from it.”
The bid announced its first ambassadors, featuring a footballing legend from each nation – Luis Figo, Andres Iniesta and Nourredine Naybet – as well as leading players from the current men’s and women’s national teams: Cristiano Ronaldo, Dolores Silva, Alvaro Morata, Irene Paredes, Achraf Hakimi, Yassine Bounou and Ghizlane Chebbak. Emmanuel Adebayor was named as the bid’s Ambassador for Africa.
Fernando Sanz, Royal Spanish Football Federation Bid Committee Member, said that 42 years after organising the 1982 World Cup, Spain “joins together with two neighboring countries to create a World Cup that will have an impact for generations. We want to mark the future with a unique World Cup. With modern facilities for players and fans, a compact tournament with short travel distances, we are sure that fans will have a unique experience in our three countries.”
The next stage of the process in the formal bid submission in July 2024. The final decision for the host of the World Cup 2030 will be made by a vote of the FIFA Congress in Q4 2024.
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