• World Cup

Argentina & Uruguay confident of centenary World Cup

ESPN staff
July 5, 2013

FIFA want the World Cup in 2030 to be jointly hosted by Argentina and Uruguay to mark the competition's centenary, according to the head of the Argentinian FA.

The first final was held in the Uruguayan capital of Montevideo in 1930, where the hosts beat their neighbours 4-2 to lift the old Jules Rimet trophy in the inaugural tournament.

With the next three editions of the tournament being held in Brazil, Russia and Qatar respectively, and the venue for 2026 still to be decided, the world governing body has already decided on how best to mark the anniversary.

"FIFA wishes to celebrate the World Cup's 100 years in Argentina and Uruguay, I can confirm that," AFA president Julio Grondona, who is also FIFA's senior vice-president, told Argentina's Radio 10.

"(An agreement) has been signed by the two associations (AFA and Uruguay's AUF). What will we do? We'll see but surely something of quality."

According to Reuters, Uruguay's Tourism and Sports ministry formally approached FIFA president Sepp Blatter at the 2010 World Cup about the idea, while a joint Argentine-Uruguayan bid has the backing of South American governing body CONMEBOL.

The 2002 tournament staged in Japan and South Korea is the only World Cup to be co-hosted to date.

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