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Could Australia theoretically host a football World Cup?

12th November, 2014
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Australia has most of the infrastructure to host a World Cup. AAP Image/Julian Smith
Roar Guru
12th November, 2014
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1851 Reads

With talk, once again, that Qatar may be at risk of losing the 2020 World Cup, the question has to be asked, if called upon, could Australia host a football World Cup?

I just want to express that despite the reports, which have strongly been denied by FIFA, I don’t expect Qatar to be stripped of the World Cup. At least any time soon.

Whether or not I believe the World Cup should ever have been awarded to Qatar is a completely different issue.

Even if Qatar does lose hosting rights, I don’t see any way that Australia will be considered. It’s more likely to head back to America, who I honestly believed had the tournament towelled up in terms of hosting rights.

I do believe that one day the World’s biggest sporting tournament will head Down Under, however it may be a fair few tournaments just yet.

IF Australia was to be awarded a World Cup, would the country succeed?

The stadiums
Brazil had a total of 12 stadiums with an average capacity of 48,896. Their biggest stadium seats just under 80,000 people, while the smallest had a capacity of under 38,000. I wouldn’t think a stadium under 40,000 would be considered in Oz.

MCG (capacity: 100,024) – Would be a no brainer to host the final given it’s enormous capacity. I’m not sure FIFA would look too kindly on the fact it’s a circular stadium however.

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Anz Stadium (83,500) – Can be modified to act as a rectangle stadium and has a capacity bigger than anything in Brazil. Would be relied upon heavily.

Adelaide Oval (53,500) – The newly developed stadium looks an absolute treat. As with the MCG it’s mostly used for cricket and AFL. I’m sure it could be altered to host a few games.

Etihad Stadium (53,359) – A massive stadium that would be unaffected by any adverse weather. Not overly popular within A-League fans, but would be a selling point.

Suncorp Stadium (52,500) – Arguably the top rectangular stadium in the country. A definite quarter-final or even semi-final venue at worst.

Allianz Stadium (45,500) – The other stadium that could be considered the top rectangular stadium in the country. Would likely miss out on hosting a Socceroos game due to the reduced capacity.

Patersons Stadium (43,500) – The Perth time slot means it could host ‘day’ games in a later timeslot. Would eliminate arguments of teams getting an easy ride by playing only at night.

The Gabba (42,000) – Could be needed to ease the workload on Suncorp Stadium. Probably not an ideal choice.

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Verdict: If the MCG, ANZ, Adelaide Oval, Etihad, Patersons and The Gabba could be configured to bring the crowd closer and act in a rectangular fashion, we realistically have eight stadiums read to go.

We would surely require at least another two to be built. I’d suggest a super stadium in Western Sydney for the Wanderers, Eels, Panthers etc to play out of. The second would have to be in Canberra or Tasmania but would likely go to waste post-cup. Perhaps Geelong or Wollongong? Could they expand Hunter Stadium?

Transport And hotels
The Sydney transport system coped pretty well by all accounts during the Olympics due to the new Airport line that was created, as well as the fact school holidays were altered to allow buses to be available.

The same would have to happen again, especially for the city-based stadiums. Life goes on for the majority in the city who would have to work. It would create havoc, but nothing we haven’t seen for big finals matches.

The second Sydney airport would likely be finished also. The major city airports would surely be able to cope with the increase in people likely to be entering the country.

As far as accommodation goes, we have the city-based hotels to house teams and supporters, that is without a doubt. The concern would be with teams wanting to stay away from the busy city areas and build a base camp much like the Socceroos did.

We don’t really have accommodation away from the major cities with facilities to train.

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Verdict: Investing in some new accommodation facilities outside the major cities could be a big win both for the tournament and local industry. Jobs will be created and surely a new hotel in Wollongong, Gosford, Geelong etc wouldn’t go astray. Travel would be fine, if not overcrowded for a few hours here and there.

Conditions
Being that the last World Cup was played during June and July that would mean we’d be in the colder months here Down Under. The majority of the European countries would consider our winter almost as summer so that would be no problem at all.

The South American sides may struggle with the cold, but no more than they did in Japan and South Korea.

Verdict: Not a problem at all.

Overall verdict
With an extra two 60,000 or so seat stadiums built in time, Australia would have no problems hosting the World Cup. We delivered what is widely considered as the best Olympic Games of all time and I have no doubt we’d deliver once again.

Of course there are many other factors than just the few listed above, but on paper, Australia would be a great choice in the future.

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