Currently, FIFA is assessing the possibilities of creating a joint regional bid from Latvia, as well as Poland, Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, and the Nordic countries to host the 2038 World Cup, the Ministry of Economics (ME) reported.
The ministry noted that considering that recent major tournaments are increasingly organized in a format of cooperation among several states, the possibility of preparing a joint regional bid from the Baltic countries, Poland, Ukraine, and the Nordic countries is currently being considered.
The Ministry of Economics also reported that on Monday, March 2, it is planned to invite the ministers of economy of the mentioned countries to a joint remote meeting to discuss a possible model of cooperation and preliminary conditions for forming a regional candidacy for 2038.
The ministry emphasized that in accordance with FIFA organizers' practice, the qualification process begins approximately eight years before the tournament takes place. It is preliminarily expected that the application process for hosting the 2038 World Cup may start around 2030, when FIFA will officially announce the candidate nomination procedure and establish detailed criteria and timelines.
Typically, the requirements include the availability of stadiums with a certain capacity. For a World Cup involving 48 teams, several stadiums with approximately 40,000 spectator seats are required, while for the semifinals and finals, stadiums with a capacity of 60,000 to 80,000 seats are needed, the Ministry of Economics noted.
