South American bid the 'favorite' to host 2030 World Cup, says CONMEBOL head

BUENOS AIRES, March 20 (Xinhua) -- A South American bid is the front runner to be awarded the hosting right for the 2030 FIFA World Cup, according to the head of the region's football governing body.

The tournament will be held 100 years after Uruguay won the inaugural World Cup as hosts.

Argentina and Uruguay originally announced plans to vie for the event two years ago before Paraguay was added to the candidacy in October 2017. Chile became the fourth country to be included in the bid last month.

"If we do our homework and the countries also do theirs, I think we are the favorites to win," South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) president Alejandro Dominguez said after a meeting with the presidents of Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and Chile in Buenos Aires on Wednesday.

The South American effort faces competition from a British-Irish proposal and a group comprising Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia.

The Argentine coordinator for the candidacy, Fernando Marin, said a meeting of the South American bid's management committee - comprising representatives from all four countries - would be held in Buenos Aires on April 8. The gathering aims to establish a work schedule for the event's organization.

Argentina and Chile - like Uruguay - have staged the World Cup just once before in 1978 and 1962, respectively. Paraguay is aiming to host the tournament for the first time.