Ukraine, Poland weigh joint bid to host FIFA World Cup

Ukraine and Poland are considering a joint bid to host the FIFA World Cup in one of the next available tournament slots, POLITICO reported.

Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi said Kyiv was interested in exploring a joint bid with Poland. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will host the 2030 tournament, while Saudi Arabia is the sole host for 2034.

“The nearest open date for the World Cup is somewhere in the 2040s … so we need to plan for this perspective right now,” Bidnyi said.

Ukraine and Poland already jointly hosted Euro 2012. “It would be very logical to repeat this successful case,” Bidnyi said, adding that a World Cup bid could also “invite investors’ attention.”

The prospect comes as Ukraine faces enormous reconstruction needs after Russia’s full-scale invasion. A joint assessment by the Ukrainian government, the World Bank Group, the European Commission and the United Nations estimates reconstruction and recovery needs at nearly $588 billion over the next decade.

Matvii Bidnyi

Russia’s war continues, with Russian forces seeking to occupy Ukrainian territory and regularly striking major cities. UN General Assembly President Annalena Baerbock said on September 1 that there was “no safe space left” in Ukraine and that civilian casualties in the first half of 2026 were 114 per cent higher than in the same period of 2024.

Ukraine’s damaged sports infrastructure illustrates the challenge. Donetsk’s Donbas Arena hosted five Euro 2012 matches before Russian-backed separatists seized parts of the region in 2014. Shelling later damaged the stadium, forcing FC Shakhtar Donetsk to leave the city and relocate its home games to western Ukraine.

Bidnyi said Ukraine remained committed to major sporting ambitions despite the war. “We will work on it … we continue to be the country that is directed on the biggest sports achievements. It’s part of our national culture, and we want to develop it despite all these difficulties.”

He said any formal initiative would have to come from sports organizations or football federations.

The proposal was also discussed on the sidelines of this year’s Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, according to a Polish government official who spoke anonymously. Poland’s sports ministry did not comment.

The idea faces political as well as practical hurdles. Polish-Ukrainian relations have deteriorated over historical disputes, while an August poll found 46 percent of Poles viewed relations with Ukraine negatively.

Ukrainian lawmaker Vasyl Mokan called the proposal “both compelling and full of potential,” saying it could be “a powerful symbol of European solidarity with Ukraine.”

He stressed that a just and lasting peace, credible security guarantees and adequate infrastructure would be essential.

“Without these conditions, it would be premature to speak about hosting a FIFA World Cup in Ukraine,” he said.

Any bid would ultimately depend on security, infrastructure and FIFA’s formal bidding process.

By Tamilla Hasanova