Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides said Cyprus could one day seek to host the FIFA World Cup with other countries in the region, but the island’s current infrastructure falls well short of FIFA requirements.
Christodoulides raises possibility of joint bid
Speaking as a pundit during televised coverage of Wednesday evening’s World Cup last 32 match between DR Congo and England, Christodoulides referred to Cyprus’ role in hosting Eurobasket and said the country could consider a future joint bid.
He said he had spoken with the prime minister of Spain, who told him Spain would co-host the next World Cup with Portugal and Morocco. Christodoulides asked why Cyprus should not also bid together with other countries in the region.
He added that Cyprus is close to Greece, Israel, and Egypt, and described the idea as an ambitious plan, saying difficult goals should be set.
Recent hosting experience
Christodoulides noted that Cyprus co-hosted Eurobasket alongside Finland, Latvia, and Poland last year. He also said the island hosted the under-17 boys’ European football championships in 2024.
FIFA requirements exceed current capacity
Hosting a World Cup would require far more extensive infrastructure than Cyprus currently has.
According to FIFA’s guidebook for prospective hosts of the 2030 World Cup, host nations must propose at least 14 stadiums, each with a minimum seating capacity of 40,000. Stadiums used for the semifinals must hold at least 60,000 spectators, while the venue for the opening match and the final must have a minimum capacity of 80,000.
Potential host nations must also propose 72 base camp training site options for participating teams, each paired with a hotel. In addition, four training sites and hotels per stadium are required for teams travelling to matches, along with two base camp training sites for referees, bringing the total to 128 training centres and hotels.
Host cities must also propose two sites each capable of holding at least 15,000 people for use as fan festivals.
Largest stadium falls short
Cyprus’ largest football stadium is the GSP Stadium in Nicosia, with a seating capacity of 22,859, well below FIFA’s minimum requirement of 40,000 seats for World Cup venues.