Ukraine and Poland Consider Joint World Cup Bid for 2040s

Ukraine has set its sights on the biggest stage in world football – but from a distance measured not in years, but in decades.

Minister of Youth and Sports Matviy Bidnyy has revealed that Ukraine and Poland are discussing the idea of a joint bid to host a World Cup sometime in the 2040s. For now, it is just that: an idea, a conversation, a long-range target framed against the backdrop of war and reconstruction.

“The next available date for the World Cup is sometime in the 2040s. We need to start planning for that now,” he said, setting out the timescale with blunt clarity.

For Ukraine, the notion is about more than football. Bidnyy stressed that the country wants to remain a player in major international sport and that any long-term rebuilding must leave room for the possibility of staging global events.

“We will work on this… We continue to be a country focused on the greatest sporting achievements. This is part of our national culture, and we want to develop it despite all these difficulties,” he noted, tying sporting ambition directly to national identity.

The pressure, though, will not come from government alone. Bidnyy made it clear that any concrete bid must originate within the game itself – from the sports community or the relevant federation – rather than being imposed top-down.

Once the interview landed, the ministry moved quickly to cool any talk of an imminent campaign. In a clarification issued after the Politico piece was published, the Ministry of Youth and Sports stated that Ukraine is not currently engaged in official negotiations or consultations with Poland over a joint World Cup bid.

The message was firm: this is a vision, not a project plan.

The ministry reiterated that the country’s immediate priorities are unchanged and uncompromising – victory in the war and the safety of its citizens. The World Cup, for now, lives in the realm of long-term strategy, not operational reality.

Global football’s calendar underlines just how long the road would be. The next two tournaments are already locked in. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will share hosting duties for the 2030 World Cup, a sprawling, cross-continental edition marking the tournament’s centenary. Saudi Arabia will then stage the 2034 finals, taking the showpiece back to Asia.

Only after that does the window open.

Between now and the 2040s lie hard questions for Ukraine: about security, infrastructure, investment and the pace of reconstruction. The idea of welcoming the world to a rebuilt country carries obvious symbolism. Whether it ever turns into a formal bid will say a great deal about how far that rebuilding has come.