Southeast Asia considering joint bid for 2030 World Cup

January 17 – Foreign Ministers from Southeast Asia have discussed for the first time the possibility of a joint bid from the region to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030.

It was one of the items on the agenda during the The Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) Foreign Ministers’ Retreat and the ASEAN Coordinating Council meeting in Lombok, Indonesia, that ended today.

The ASEAN group comprises 10 countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam..

The Football Association of Singapore (FAS) immediately said it will be working closely with the Community Development, Youth and Sports Ministry and Singapore Sports Council over ASEAN’s proposal.

FAS President, Zainudin Nordin, claimed it is possible for ASEAN to jointly host the event in 20 years’ time.

“It is possible for ASEAN to jointly host the event in 20 years time and to possibly meet the football standards then due to the aggressive football youth development programmes of ASEAN member nations,” he said.

“A joint bid by ASEAN will raise the international profile of the region and will also unite citizens of the member nations.”

Zainudin added it is possible to meet the football standards then due to the aggressive football youth development programmes of ASEAN member nations.

He said a joint bid by ASEAN will raise the international profile of the region and will also unite citizens of the member nations.

In 2007 four ASEAN countries – Indonesia, Malaysia, Thailand and Vietnam – hosted the 16-team Asian Cup, the continent’s top soccer tournament.

Indonesia were also briefly involved in the bidding process for the 2022 World Cup finals before withdrawing their candidature in March last year after they failed to receive the Government guarantees demanded by FIFA.

Although any decisions for the 2030 finals will not be made by FIFA for more than a decade, the ASEAN nations are the second party to show an interest, following an announcement last year that Argentina and Uruguay could also consider a joint bid to celebrate the centenary staging of the inaugural World Cup in Uruguay.