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Australia will likely need partners if they are bid for World Cup, with 2034 looking more likely target

With FIFA’s desire for ‘cross-nation’ tournaments, Australia won’t be able to go it alone for hosting rights, as 2034 is seen as the more realistic date goal.

Australia’s best chance of staging the FIFA World Cup is as a co-host with a nation from Oceania or Asia.

Following on from comments made in a News Corp report, Football Australia chief executive James Johnson confirmed Australia’s interest in hosting the World Cup in 2034, two years after the Brisbane Olympics.

Johnson stressed that a World Cup hosting bid had not yet been made.

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Football Australia CEO James Johnson said the 2032 Olympics would help an Aussie bid.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson said the 2032 Olympics would help an Aussie bid.

However, he said that Australia could “realistically” host the 2034 edition of the world’s biggest football tournament, but with another country as part of FIFA president Gianni Infantino’s desire for “cross-nation” competitions.

The 2023 Women’s World Cup will be co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand, while the 2026 men’s World Cup will be staged in Canada, Mexico and the United States.

“There’s an opportunity to bring the World Cup back to Asia (or) the Asia Pacific area in 2034,” Johnson said.

“If you look at the way that certainly Gianni is wanting to run his competition strategies, he wants cross-nation competitions, so I don’t see any future World Cups being run by one country.

“It is something that would need to be done with other countries in the region, both in the Asia and probably the Oceania regions.

“If we can deliver the best level women’s World Cup tournament, it does put you in a good position to take on more FIFA competitions.

“It’s all there. It’s a vision and an aspiration at this stage, but the way these competitions get won is the conversations behind closed doors start a decade before.”

Johnson said Brisbane hosting the 2032 Olympics would help a potential Australian bid for the 2034 World Cup.

“It helps. The more top sporting competitions that we’re able to deliver as a code, and as a country, the better were we’re placed to deliver future major tournaments,” he said.

Graham Arnold is excited by the prospect of an Australian bid.
Graham Arnold is excited by the prospect of an Australian bid.

Socceroos coach Graham Arnold said the 2032 Olympics would also strengthen the national team for the 2034 World Cup and beyond.

“If you remember back to 2000, a lot of the ‘Golden Generation’ that we talk about, the AOC (Australian Olympic Committee) took over the funding for three years,” he said.

“Three years of preparation for the 2000 (Sydney) Olympics, for football. Those players got to play a mountain of games before Sydney 2000.

“It’d be great for the sport, and great for the game.”

Australia’s bold plan to bid for Cup

Sports and government officials are formulating plans to bid for the men’s soccer World Cup, part of a strategy to bring a string of major events to Australia before and after the 2032 Olympic Games in Brisbane.

The bid would be for the 2030 or 2034 World Cup, with discussions taking place a ­decade after Australia’s ill-fated pursuit of the 2022 World Cup under then Football ­Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy.

Kylian Mbappe celebrates with the World Cup Trophy after France’s 2018 win. Picture: Getty Images
Kylian Mbappe celebrates with the World Cup Trophy after France’s 2018 win. Picture: Getty Images

That bid was funded with about $46m of taxpayer funds, but officials believe a future bid has enough distance from the December 2010 decision that saw world governing body FIFA award the 2022 event to Qatar in a controversial ­process that ended with Australia receiving just a single vote.

The men’s World Cup is considered the most popular sports event in the world and Football Australia chief executive James Johnson said a bid would be a natural step after a successful joint hosting in two years of the 2023 women’s World Cup with New Zealand.

“We’ll host a great compe­tition in 2023 – we’re going to wrap a legacy around it for the game, but we’ve got to squeeze more juice out of this and it could be a stepping stone with a successful delivery of that ­toward more FIFA competitions,” Mr Johnson said.

“And there’s a trend. Look at Canada, which hosted the women’s World Cup in 2015 and 11 years later they’re going to host the men’s World Cup with the US (and Mexico). Look at Brazil – they hosted the World Cup in 2014 and Olympics in 2016.”

James Johnson. Picture: Christian Gilles
James Johnson. Picture: Christian Gilles

Mr Johnson said he believed the 2030 men’s World Cup was more likely to be awarded to ­Europe or South America, given next year’s competition was in Qatar, part of the Asian Football Confederation, and the 2026 event in North ­America.

Asian countries, including Australia and the likes of China and Saudi Arabia, would be in contention for 2034, two years after the Brisbane ­Olympics and 11 years after the women’s World Cup. ­Preliminary discussions between FA and state-based major events officials have ­already taken place, with former Sydney 2000 Olympics bid chief Rod McGeoch, now a director of Destination NSW, confirming he was working on garnering support to launch an official bid.

“I have started (working on a possible bid) for 2030 … I feel we have got to start,” Mr McGeoch said.

“We are quietly working away and with the women’s World Cup in 2023, that is a big opportunity for us (as) FIFA will have an office in (Sydney).”

Tim Cahill enjoys Australia’s Asian Cup win on home soil.
Tim Cahill enjoys Australia’s Asian Cup win on home soil.

The planning comes as FA moves to capitalise on the 2023 event and the rising popularity of the Matildas, who smashed television ratings during their recent run to the semi-finals at the Tokyo Olympics.

Mr Johnson said FA would seek extra government funding for soccer infrastructure for junior and amateur levels, with a boom in participation numbers forecast in the lead-up to and after 2023.

FA has also doubled its revenue in the past year, having signed a new naming rights sponsorship deal with Commonwealth Bank for the Matildas and a new broadcast contract with the Ten Network.

Mr Johnson, a former FIFA official, played down suggestions there might still be ill feeling from Australia’s last men’s World Cup bid, which included accusations of ­attempted vote buying and huge fees paid to ­European consultants.

“It is a different FIFA now,” he said. “You have to make sure you put the best bid in and make sure you’re the best ­advocate. We probably have more clout now than we’ve had in a long time.”

Originally published as Australia will likely need partners if they are bid for World Cup, with 2034 looking more likely target

Original URL: https://www.couriermail.com.au/sport/football/australia-set-to-prepare-bid-to-host-fifa-world-cup-in-2030-or-2034/news-story/a4a335038510be866625d9dd11b93737