Saudi Arabia talks to co-host 2030 soccer World Cup

 Saudi Arabia is in talks with sports chiefs in Egypt and Greece for a joint bid to host the 2030 soccer World Cup.

According to Arab News, on Friday, the spokesman of the Egyptian Ministry of Sports, Mohamed Fawzi, said that "the three countries are working and the request to hold the tournament is being studied."

He said that Egypt has hosted several world championships in the last three years and is well qualified for the premier football tournament.

A source at Greece's Hellenic Football Federation in Athens confirmed that the three countries were in talks about a joint bid.

If the bid is successful, the tournament will be held in the winter of 2030 to avoid extreme heat, as is the World Cup in Qatar in November and December this year.

The bid will face competition from at least two other joint proposals. Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay launched a bid to host the 2030 World Cup in early August, while Spain and Portugal announced their joint candidacy last year.

The joint bid by the South American nations aims to host the 2030 final at the same Centenario Stadium in Montevideo that hosted the final 100 years ago.

Football's world governing body FIFA will choose the host for the 2030 tournament in 2024.

Hosting major international sporting events, including European club football and boxing world titles, is an important part of Saudi Arabia's Vision 2030 development strategy.