On October 5, a briefing took place at the UEFA headquarters featuring the president of the Portuguese Football Federation, Fernando Gomes, the president of the Royal Spanish Football Federation, Luis Rubiales, and the president of the Ukrainian Association of Football, Andriy Pavelka.

Photo uefa.com

The Portuguese Football Federation and the Royal Spanish Football Federation invited Ukraine to join their bid for hosting the 2030 World Cup.

Both associations informed UEFA of their desire, which immediately expressed full support.

The determination and resilience of the Ukrainian people are inspiring, so this initiative aims to contribute to the country's reconstruction during the recovery period through the power of football.

The conditions for Ukraine's participation in the bid will be discussed and determined later.

From now on, representatives from the Ukrainian side will also join the Coordination Committee preparing the World Cup 2030 bid led by António Lança.

The candidacies of Portugal, Spain, and Ukraine meet all criteria and deadlines for submitting bids to FIFA.

We believe that the football family around the world will embrace and support this initiative.

Welcome, Ukraine, to the bid for the 2030 World Cup!» — reads in a joint official press release from the participants.