Four South American nations bidding for the 2030 FIFA World Cup are inviting Bolivia to join them ©CONMEBOL

The four South American nations bidding to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup have invited a fifth to join them in celebrating the centenary of the tournament.

"We affirm our commitment to the 2030 World Cup candidacy to return the greatest celebration of world football to its origins," South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) President Alejandro Dominguez announced at the Argentina Football Association (AFA) Julio Grondona training camp in Ezeiza.

"We have a team, we believe in greatness, we are convinced and FIFA has the obligation to honour the memory of those who preceded us, they who believed big and made the first World Cup."

Argentina, who lifted the World Cup for a third time in December, spearhead the bid along with Uruguay, Chile and Paraguay under the banner "Juntos" meaning "we are together."

They are set to ask Bolivia to join them in hosting the competition.

The theme 2030 South American bid for the World Cup is Juntos, meaning together ©Getty Images
The theme 2030 South American bid for the World Cup is Juntos, meaning together ©Getty Images

Dominguez insisted on social media that "this candidacy belongs to the entire continent," and that he planned to "propose that our brother country Bolivia is also part of this dream."

Bolivia took part in the inaugural World Cup in 1930, but have not qualified for the final tournament since USA 1994 when they lost to Germany in the opening match.

"As world champions, we launch this candidacy that is the dream of all South Americans," AFA President Claudio Tapia declared.

"Not just because of the centenary of the first edition, but because of the passion with which we experience football."

Argentina hosted and won the World Cup for the first time in 1978.



The country was then under the control of a military junta and there were many protests in Europe over human rights abuses in the host nation.

Uruguay had been the inaugural hosts in 1930 but only 13 teams took part.

The Uruguayans had been chosen after the national team won Olympic gold in both 1924 and 1928.

"FIFA needs to come to celebrate where football was born in 1930," Uruguay’s Secretary of Sports Sebastián Bauzá insisted.

Chile hosted the 1962 World Cup and only Paraguay of the initial bidding quartet have yet to stage the tournament.

"Have no doubt that if we all set out to be venues in 2030 we will achieve it, because we know how we have to work and because we have what we {need} to have for our countries to be venues of the World Cup," Tapia added.

AFA President Claudio Tapia is confident that the bid for 2030 will be successful ©Getty Images
AFA President Claudio Tapia is confident that the bid for 2030 will be successful ©Getty Images

Japan and South Korea were the first World Cup joint hosts in 2002.

The 2026 competition is set to be spread across the United States, Mexico and Canada and feature 48 teams for the first time.

Spain and Portugal announced last October that they had invited Ukraine to join them in a European bid.

Russia were the last European hosts in 2018.

2027 Asian Cup hosts Saudi Arabia are also thought to be planning a bid alongside Egypt and Greece.

2022 World Cup semi-finalists Morocco are also expected to try again.

No other nation has bid as many times as Morocco without success.