November 25 – CONMEBOL, South America’s governing body, has backed a plan by Argentina and Uruguay to launch a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup to commemorate the centenary of the first-ever tournament that was also held in Uruguay.
The CSF announced its support for the initiative in a statement issued after an Executive Committee meeting tonight at its headquarters in the Paraguayan capital.
The project to host the 2030 World Cup in Uruguay was originally the idea of Abel Fialko, a Uruguayan resident in Israel who created a website in 1997 and began gathering more and more people, using the internet, to his cause.
The topic was addressed in a 2005 meeting between FIFA president Sepp Blatter and Uruguayan President Tabaré Vázquez.
After the meeting, Blatter stated, “Today, it’s a dream, which has to become a project before it can become reality.”
In October 2007, Julio Grondona, President of the Argentine Football Association, accepted a proposal from neighboring Uruguay to bid to co-host the event.
Olympic champions Uruguay beat neighbours Argentina 4-2 in the first World Cup final in 1930 at the Centenario Stadium in Montevideo.
The matches were all held in the Uruguayan capital as 13 teams took part in 18 matches in a tournament that lasted 17 days and in which Uruguay’s Guillermo Stábile finished top scorer with eight goals.
Argentina staged the World Cup in 1978 when 16 teams played in 36 matches with the hosts coming out on top, beating Holland 3-1 in the final in Buenos Aires.
Next year’s World Cup will be held in South Africa, while Brazil will host the 2014 tournament.
FIFA is evaluating bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments with a decision due in December 2010.
With those likely to go to Europe and one of Asia and North America, South America’s unofficial turn would be due to come back around by 2030 based on FIFA’s loose rotation policy.
Other World Cups held on South American soil include Brazil 1950 and Chile 1962, both of which were also won by South American nations.
FIFA are unlikely to make a decision on the host of the 2030 World Cup before 2021.