Spain and Portugal in joint bid for 2018

January 19, 2009

It has just been announced that England will have another rival in their quest to win the bid for the 2018 World Cup as Spain and Portugal announce they are going to but a joint bid in for the event.

Australia, the United States, Qatar, Russia and a joint Belgium and Netherlands bids are the other bids already on the table.

Countries must register their interest with Fifa by 2 February, and more bids are expected to follow.

Spain hosted the World Cup in 1982 and the European Championship in 1954, while more recently Portugal beat Spain to host Euro 2004.

Spanish federation president Angel Maria Villar and Portuguese counterpart Gilberto Madail signed the agreement for a joint bid in Lisbon on Monday.

The two countries will now form a joint committee to take the project forward.

Fifa will consider bids to host both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments over the next two years.

It is believed that the Spain and Portugal bid poses the biggest competition to England as it is believed they will gain support form the South American members of Fifa’s 24-man executive committee, who will decide a winner in December 2010.

The winning country or countries must be able to provide up to 12 stadia with at least 40,000 seats for group matches and 80,000 for the later stages.

The 2010 World Cup will be held in South Africa while Brazil will host the 2014 tournament.

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