Egypt Eyes Olympics, World Cup Hosting

(ATR) The North African country is considering bids for the 2030 FIFA tournament and 2032 Summer Games.

New sports minister Ashraf Sobhi announced Egypt’s ambitions at a press conference on Tuesday.

"Our goal is to host the 2030 World Cup in Egypt and we will work on that in the upcoming period," Sobhi was quoted in Egyptian media reports. "We also want to win the hosting rights for the 2032 Olympic Games."

His comments come just a month after Morocco was beaten to 2026 World Cup hosting rights by a joint bid from the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The Egyptian football federation voted for the Morocco bid at the FIFA Congress in Moscow on June 13.

Africa has never hosted an Olympics – and after a new-look Summer Games in Los Angeles in 2028, it may be some time before the continent can deliver the IOC’s showpiece to a similar international standard.

The billions of dollars of investment required may be beyond Egypt, unless it partners with a neighboring country. The country’s security issues would be a major hurdle to overcome.

Africa has never made a concerted effort to stage the biggest sporting event in the world.

The South African city of Durban had considered bids for the 2024 and 2028 Games before landing the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

But Durban, in 2017, was stripped of the Commonwealth Games after the South African government failed to supply the necessary financial guarantees.

For Egypt, the 2030 World Cup may be a more achievable ambition.

South Africa in 2010 became the continent’s first host of the FIFA showpiece; it defeated bids from Egypt and Morocco to secure hosting rights.

Morocco has signaled its intention to bid again for the World Cup after it was defeated by the United bid. A joint bid with Tunisia and Algeria is an option currently being explored. A bid from Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay is already well advanced.

After the Russia World Cup final this Sunday, the global spotlight will switch to preparations for the Qatar World Cup in 2022.

A vote for the 2030 host is unlikely to take place until after the first World Cup in the Middle East.

Reported by Mark Bisson

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