Thanks to their recent joint announcement of a bid to bring the 2030 World Cup to South America, Uruguay and Argentina hope to strike the net in securing the Centenary World Cup.
Between the two countries are some of the best players—past and present—that have ever stepped on a pitch in the form of Lionel Messi, Diego Maradona, Luis Suarez and Juan Alberto Schiaffino, four World Cup titles between the two countries, including Uruguay hosting—and winning—the first-ever one back in 1930, and it makes the most sense for soccer’s grandest tournament to come full circle 100 years later.
As with all things, there are obstacles facing the joint Argentina-Uruguay bid such logistics, current and future stadiums as well as other bids from Europe, China and Africa, that could possible derail a River Plate return of the World Cup to South America.
Due to its small size of 3.3 million, Uruguay may more than likely host both the opening and closing ceremonies, with Argentina hosting all of the main games. There is precedent in two nations co-hosting a World Cup, as Japan and South Korea did so recently in 2002, but not to say that it cannot be done and that the Argentina-Uruguay 2030 bid is in jeopardy, but if one were to look at current odds, their chances are not that promising.
With current betting on World Cup 2018 already taking place as to who will win, current odds, per Bovada list Germany at 5-1, Argentina at 7-1, Brazil at 8-1 with Northern Ireland having the longest odds at 2000-1. Odds to who will land World Cup 2030 have opened up with Uruguay as early favorites followed by China, England, Africa right behind.
Who knows what will happen between now and 2030, as FIFA will have another 13 years to decide where to hold their centennial celebration of un jogo bonito, hopefully by then it will be in a place just as beautiful as the game itself.