How Victoria could score the ultimate goal in global sport

The MCG could be in line to host the world’s biggest individual sporting event, as Football Federation Australia confirmed a 2034 World Cup bid is on the cards.

The MCG could be in line to host the world’s biggest individual sporting event, with Australia poised to chase the 2034 FIFA World Cup.

Football Federation Australia has confirmed a bid to secure the massive event next decade is on the cards, with the women’s tournament being hosted here next year a vital “springboard” for showcasing the game Down Under.

The FFA said the bid was still at an “embryonic stage”, but former Socceroos striker Archie Thompson said Melbourne would be a great city to host games – and the final – given its multicultural status.

The pursuit of a top-tier global sporting event to rival Brisbane’s 2032 Olympic Games comes after concerns were raised about whether the Commonwealth Games should be a priority event for Victoria.

Premier Daniel Andrews revealed on Wednesday the state would pitch a bid for the 2026 Games and was backed by the opposition. But others have questioned the cost – which Mr Andrews described as an “investment” in the economy – with former premier Jeff Kennett lashing the bid as an “abject waste of money”.

Football Federation Australia has confirmed a bid to secure the 2034 World Cup is on the cards. Picture: Getty Images

Attention will soon shift to the country’s hosting duties for the women’s soccer World Cup next year, which is being shared with New Zealand. Melb­ourne has missed out on securing any of the finals.

The Victorian government would need to be far more aggressive to secure the final for the MCG over Sydney if a men’s tournament bid is successful.

Sporting chiefs believe the women’s tournament would be the perfect opportunity to aim high and launch a push for the men’s World Cup in 2034.

An FFA spokesman said a bid was part of its long-term aspirations.

“It would be a natural progression on the back of a successful women’s World Cup on our shores in 2023,” he said.

Thompson, who was capped 50 times for Australia in a glittering career and is a Melbourne Victory ambassador, said Melbourne would be the perfect location for games.

“I’m excited about the World Cup for women and that, I am guessing, will showcase our game and show what it means for our country,” he said.

“That would be a launching pad for those decisions and whether we bid for the World Cup, and why not?

“We are a multicultural city and we love the game.”

Sporting chiefs believe the women’s tournament would be the perfect opportunity to aim high and launch a push for the men’s World Cup in 2034. Picture: Getty Images

The push for Victoria to get behind that event, which is watched by hundreds of millions of people around the world and delivers billions of dollars in benefits, comes as the state government enters exclusive bidding rights for the Commonwealth Games.

Mr Kennett said a lot had changed since 2006 when Melbourne last hosted the Games, pointing to the fact the host’s role had sat empty since Durban, in South Africa, was stripped of the event in 2017 and Birmingham, in the UK, was fast-tracked to host the 2022 Games.

“The very fact that no city put its hand up to host is a signal from the Commonwealth and the athletic community that this competition is irrelevant,” he said. “This is not an investment that makes any sense whatsoever.”

Mr Kennett has called for the money to be spent on community sport and a “Victoria Games” held to prepare athletes for the Olympics and world championships.

Bill Lang, the executive director of Small Business Australia, said without a rigorous cost-benefit analysis showing “clear” dividends, the bid should be scrapped.

He said Commonwealth Games organisers should be paying a share of the hosting costs, given no one had put their hand up to host the event so far.

“It could be a very positive thing if the Commonwealth Games paid for it to be held in Victoria,” he said.

The state government has entered exclusive bidding rights for the 2026 Commonwealth Games.

Gold Coast Mayor Tom Tate said lessons from his home city’s Games in 2018 should be heeded, and recommended a volunteer base be built now.

“Don’t overcapitalise,” he said. “Refurbishing facilities and bringing in temporary grandstands is a better long-term investment than multimillion-dollar new infrastructure.

“Regionally, Victoria has some exceptional sports and festival infrastructure.

“Sweat the asset, as the taxpayer does not want a post-Games legacy bill.’’