Opinion | China to test bid for 2030 Fifa World Cup ahead of targeting tournament in 2034
- Bid expected to be announced when Fifa president Gianni Infantino and Fifa Legends on Tour visit in May 2019
- Speculation on when China will stage the tournament ongoing since Xi Jinping expressed desire to host in 2011
China will bid for the 2030 World Cup and the official announcement will come in May 2019 with the visit of Fifa president Gianni Infantino and the Fifa Legends on Tour, a source told the South China Morning Post.
It has long been speculated that China would bid for the 2030 edition of the tournament, the centenary tournament 100 years after the first World Cup, and the impending return of the Fifa president to the country adds weight to the speculation.
The source said the 2030 bid would likely be a test run ahead of China bidding for and expecting to win the right to host the 2034 World Cup.
One potential spanner in the works is Shanghai’s rumoured bid to host the Summer Olympic Games, with a target date of 2032.
Based on the football tournament at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Shanghai would play an integral part of any World Cup bid.