World Cup 2038: France considering a joint bid with other countries

The French Football Federation (FFF) is considering the possibility of hosting a future World Cup. Its president, Philippe Diallo, has discussed a bid involving several countries, with the 2038 World Cup among the editions being considered. The project remains at the discussion stage.

France could once again position itself to host the FIFA World Cup. French Football Federation president Philippe Diallo confirmed the organisation’s interest in a future bid, while stressing the need to partner with other countries. The 2038 edition has been mentioned as a possibility, but no official bid has been announced at this stage.

In comments reported by Ouest-France, the French official presented this ambition as a larger-scale project for French football.

“There is perhaps a stronger project, which would be to bid for a future World Cup,” he said.

A project requiring several countries

Hosting a World Cup now requires considerable resources. Since the number of participating teams increased from 32 to 48, the number of matches and infrastructure requirements have grown.

Philippe Diallo stressed the need to take FIFA’s specifications into account before considering a French bid.

“We have gone from 32 to 48 participating teams. With 48, you need at least 16 large stadiums,” he explained, according to the reported comments.

The FFF president draws a conclusion from this: France should rely on partners to submit a bid that meets the requirements of world football’s governing body.

“So, for France, that means we need to join forces with other countries,” he added.

A joint bid would make it possible to distribute the matches across several territories and pool the infrastructure needed to host the national teams, supporters and delegations.

Read also: World Cup 2038: 4 African countries for a joint hosting bid?

2038, a still-uncertain target

Although 2038 has been mentioned in connection with this project, it does not yet correspond to an officially submitted bid. The FFF must first clarify its intentions, identify potential partners and study the conditions set by FIFA.

The choice of the edition concerned will also depend on the international calendar and the competition’s bidding rules. At this stage, Philippe Diallo’s announcement therefore reflects a desire to explore this possibility rather than the formal launch of a campaign for 2038.

France, which hosted the men’s World Cup in 1998, could therefore seek to re-enter the race to organise the tournament, this time as part of international cooperation. It remains to be seen which countries would be willing to join the project and when a bid could actually be submitted.

Nouya M'toama

Editorfr, en

Versatile journalist specializing in sports and political news, with extensive experience across radio, print and digital media platforms.

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