The SPD backs the CDU’s plan for Germany to submit a bid for the 2042 men’s FIFA World Cup. Parliamentary chief Dirk Wiese told the “Rheinische Post” on Thursday that the party offers full support for a new bid, citing the country’s long and rich football tradition.

Wiese added that the 2006 World Cup had turned the world into a neighbourhood of friends, calling it a football festival in which a modern, open Germany presented itself as a good host. He also pointed out that the 2024 European Championship was a great success on home soil.

According to the “Rheinische Post”, the CDU intends to adopt a motion at its federal convention in Stuttgart in February that will formally launch the bid for the 2042 tournament.