News broke recently of a joint five-association bid from the four UK nations and the Republic of Ireland to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup. This is potentially an exciting chance to see part of the largest football competition played right on our own doorstep, so how likely is this bid to succeed and what could it mean for Northern Ireland?

Of the five nations, only England has hosted the World Cup previously, having won the competition on home soil in 1966. FIFA likes to rotate the competition around continents, with Qatar due to host in 2022 and the following competition due to be hosted in North America, meaning that Europe could be in the running for the 2030 competition.

2030 will mark the centenary of the competition – the hundredth anniversary since hosts Uruguay defeated Argentina in the final. It comes as no surprise, then, that the chief rival to the five nations is a joint bid from Uruguay and Argentina along with Paraguay and Chile. Other bids include a rival European joint effort from Spain and Portugal.

Why so many joint bids?

We are used to one nation hosting the World Cup, but it would not be the first time a joint bid has won. Japan and South Korea jointly hosted the competition in 2002; the 2012 European Championships were hosted by Poland and Ukraine. The World Cup is an expensive competition to host, requiring funding from the national football association and most likely from the government. Splitting the cost between multiple associations is helpful, particularly for smaller footballing nations.

The most recent four finals (including next year’s in Qatar) will have been staged by a first-time host nation. The new nations involved in joint bids are unlikely to have the necessary infrastructure to host such a large competition by themselves. The capacity of Northern Ireland’s Windsor Park, for example, is just 18,500. Every England Premier League ground has a larger capacity.

Would Northern Ireland host any matches?

Should the bid succeed, Northern Ireland would certainly get to host matches, but given the relatively small capacity of Windsor Park we should not expect any footballing giants to play here. The same is likely true of the Republic of Ireland which would largely rely on the Aviva Stadium in Dublin.

There are of course other stadiums in Ireland that are capable of hosting large crowds, such as Croke Park, the Kingspan Stadium and Casement Park. These venues, however, present other issues. The alternatives are still in Belfast and Dublin, which does not help the geographic spread of the competition, and are of course owned by different sporting bodies. Ulster Rugby and the GAA would have to be willing to publicly support the bid and possibly contribute financially. There is also the issue of Casement Park’s re-development being continually delayed. Assurances would need to be sought in advance of a bid being submitted. 

Whatever happens, it’s likely that some nations would choose to make Northern Ireland their training base. The World Cup, should the format remain the same as this time round, accommodates 32 teams, some of which would find themselves making a temporary home in Northern Ireland. In itself this could – or should – lead to an increase in investment in sports facilities across the province.

Would NI enter automatically?

Traditionally, hosts of the World Cup play in the World Cup without ever having to qualify with the other 31 teams. Given a five-nation bid, however, it would be fairly surprising if all qualified automatically. As yet, there’s no indication of how this situation might be resolved.

All of this talk is hypothetical of course, but still exciting. I’m sure that many of us have fond memories of the 2012 London Olympics. Its organisers were careful to stress that the games were for the whole of the UK, providing an example for the joint bid. This situation should be no different, especially given that the games would actually be played across the islands.

Something we could all look forward to

If there’s one thing that brings the people of these islands together it’s our love of sport. Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland fans were loved by their French hosts during Euro 2016. How amazing would it be for those fans and players to experience our enthusiasm and hospitality first hand?

Even if our local football allegiances differ, I’m sure this cross-island competition is a vision we can all share. Let’s throw our collective weight behind the World Cup bid and let the (friendly) rivalry resume when the whistle blows.