Ukraine has raised the possibility of joining forces with Poland to host a future FIFA World Cup, potentially reviving the partnership that delivered Euro 2012. According to Digi24’s original report, Ukrainian Sports Minister Matvii Bidnyi said his country was interested in exploring a joint candidacy with its neighbour. However, the story has since taken a significant turn, with Polish officials publicly denying that any talks are currently taking place.
The clarification came from Poland’s Ministry of Sport and Tourism itself. According to TVP World, the ministry said: “The Ministry of Sport and Tourism is not conducting talks with the Ukrainian side on the organization of the football World Cup.” The statement directly challenged the impression that Poland and Ukraine were already working together on preparations for a future bid.
Poland pushes back on the World Cup story
The Polish response followed reports that Ukraine was considering Poland as a partner for a World Cup in the 2040s. Bidnyi had said that the long timeframe meant preparations for such ambitions needed to be considered well in advance. “The nearest open date for the World Cup is somewhere in the 2040s … so we need to plan for this perspective right now,” he said, as quoted by TVP World.
However, Poland’s denial makes an important distinction between Ukraine expressing an ambition and the two countries actually developing a joint application. There is currently no formal bid, no joint organising committee and no confirmed agreement between the governments or football associations. What initially appeared to be the early stages of a shared project is therefore better described as a Ukrainian idea that Poland has not formally joined.
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Ukraine has since provided a similar clarification. In a statement quoted by TVP World, the Ukrainian Ministry of Youth and Sports said: “Ukraine is not holding any official negotiations or consultations with Poland regarding a joint bid to host the FIFA World Cup.” The ministry said Bidnyi had been discussing Ukraine’s broader post-war ambitions to stage major international sporting events rather than announcing an active World Cup project.
Ukraine calls it a long-term vision
The Ukrainian authorities also stressed that the country has far more immediate priorities. The ministry said Ukraine’s current focus remained “victory in the war and the safety of its citizens,” while the possibility of staging a major tournament could only become relevant once peace and security had been restored. It described the prospect of a World Cup as “a long-term vision, not an operational plan,” according to TVP World.
That wording significantly changes the way the original story should be understood. Ukrainian officials clearly see international sport as part of the country’s possible future after the war, but there is no suggestion that resources are currently being directed towards an official FIFA application. The idea remains at the level of long-term political and sporting ambition.
According to TVP World, an earlier report had claimed the possibility was discussed on the sidelines of the Ukraine Recovery Conference in Gdańsk, citing an official briefed by the Polish government. Neither Poland’s Sports Ministry nor Ukraine’s Ministry of Youth and Sports, however, now describes those contacts as formal negotiations over a World Cup bid. That leaves a clear gap between informal discussions about future possibilities and an actual joint candidacy.
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Euro 2012 remains the obvious blueprint
Ukraine’s interest in Poland is hardly surprising given the countries’ shared football history. Poland and Ukraine successfully co-hosted Euro 2012, with matches played across eight cities including Warsaw, Kyiv, Gdańsk, Lviv, Donetsk and Wrocław. Bidnyi referred directly to that tournament when discussing a potential future partnership, saying: “It would be very logical to repeat this successful case.”
For Ukraine, hosting another major football tournament could form part of a much wider post-war reconstruction project. Stadiums, transport networks, hotels and other infrastructure would require substantial investment, while an event such as the World Cup could potentially attract both international attention and private capital. According to the World Bank’s latest reconstruction assessment, Ukraine’s total recovery and reconstruction needs were estimated at almost $588 billion over the coming decade as of the end of 2025.
Football itself demonstrates the scale of the challenge. Donbas Arena, which staged five matches during Euro 2012, has not hosted Shakhtar Donetsk since the club was forced away from the city in 2014 and has suffered damage during the conflict. As TVP World described, any future Ukrainian role in staging a World Cup would therefore depend on lasting peace and credible security guarantees.
The timeline presents another major obstacle
There is also uncertainty over when Poland and Ukraine could realistically be eligible to host the tournament. Spain, Portugal and Morocco will stage the 2030 World Cup, alongside centenary matches in Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, while Saudi Arabia has been awarded the 2034 edition. Under FIFA’s recent confederation rotation system, another European bid for 2038 would therefore appear difficult.
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That helps explain why Bidnyi referred broadly to a possible tournament in the 2040s rather than presenting 2038 as a concrete target. If FIFA continues to apply a similar rotation model, 2042 could become a more realistic opportunity for a UEFA member to host the competition again. FIFA has not yet opened the formal bidding process for those tournaments, meaning the eventual rules and eligible confederations remain subject to change.
A striking idea, but not yet a bid
The most accurate description of the situation is therefore very different from saying Poland and Ukraine are preparing to host the World Cup together. Ukraine has publicly expressed interest in exploring such a project one day, while both the Polish and Ukrainian ministries have now said there are no official negotiations taking place. Poland has not committed itself to the proposal, and there is currently no joint World Cup bid.
The significance of the idea lies instead in the long-term picture Ukraine is beginning to draw for itself. Recreating the Euro 2012 partnership with Poland could one day become part of a broader reconstruction story, with international sport used as a symbol of stability and recovery after the war. For now, however, the ambition exists mainly on the Ukrainian side, while Warsaw’s message is unequivocal: no talks on a joint World Cup are currently taking place.
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