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.
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.
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.
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.
Rowdy
Guest
Of course they could. I seem to recall an U21 World Cup was held in Aus in the early 90s, so why not the real thing? The only problem is timezones, with probably the biggest number of viewers being in Europe.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Anyone who thinks Japan doesn't have a strong football culture needs to tune in to FoxSports 4 right now. 45000 people packed into the Toyota Stadium in Tokyo to watch a practice match against Honduras. From the TV, the atmosphere is far better than most international, or club, matches in Europe. No way Australia would get 45k to come to a friendly against Honduras.
Martyn50
Guest
Forget the debate about oval shaped vs rectangular pitches and how many should be built. Due to Labours poor financial record Australia has little money to throw around for a 4 week tournament and build stadiums that afterwords would not get used to full capacity ever again. Australia will never get the WC for several reasons. Firstly were not in the zone for TV coverage. Play games in Sydney, Melbourne or Brisbane in the afternoon which means that's 7am in the UK. Early hours in the Americas. Second in a poll conducted back in July on 12 % voted for Soccer to be regarded as the country's football code. That was taken in the middle of the WC in Brazil. Which means most (88%) follow other football codes. Instead of pouring money into failed WC bids put it into building a rectangular stadium in Sydney's western suburbs.
nordster
Guest
well to quote the great austrian fashion journalist, Bruno, "ich dont think so" !!! :) http://m.arabianbusiness.com/qatar-cleared-of-2022-world-cup-corruption-claims-by-fifa-report-571744.html "It also said that in Australia's bid for 2022 "there are certain indications of potentially problematic conduct of specific individuals in the light of relevant FIFA Ethics rules." love the smell of strayan hypocrisy in the mornin'....
RBBAnonymous
Guest
@ Millane That's the point Millane. Someone has to pay for it and it certainly wont be football. It will ultimately be the taxpayer and the government who pays for it. Unbelievably there are governments all over the world who are falling over themselves in order to host the World Cup tournament. It is simply the biggest single sporting event in the world. There is a huge cost to pay which we ultimately wont go through with. Most of the stadiums I listed would not become white elephants, they would be used for football but Ideally they need to find another tenant in order to get the best use out of it. Like I keep mentioning we don't have that many stadiums for football. Most of the stadiums I proposed would have a 40k capacity during the WC and then get reduced in size after the world cup. The annoying part for me when we bid for the World Cup the last time was that hardly any new football stadiums would be built. In fact most of the stadiums we would have used were designed for AFL and cricket. So after a major event like a football world cup, we wouldn't even get the benefit of new stadiums being built and used for football, it would simply be used to upgrade facilities used by AFL and cricket. On top of that we would have had to have paid $1B in compensation for the "privilege" of using those venues and interrupting their competitions. I would much rather a submission where we build stadiums or upgrade existing infrastructure that is used for football. Part of that compensation amount to the AFL would have gone to building new stadiums. That to me is a much better outcome for football. No need to interrupt the AFL season and we get much needed infrastructure that is used for football.
Canman
Guest
Not suggesting the atmosphere is not pretty good, and having just returned from the Maracana, can agree the atmosphere was better than pretty good when its full of Argentinians. Apologies for not making my point clear enough. If we are going to build new football specific stadia then why not build them to maximise the atmosphere. FIFA have of course utilised oval/round stadiums none more so than the Azteca but I have been to see a couple of games including Argentina at the MCG and as large and imposing as it is I do believe it does not provide as good an atmosphere as the afore mentioned stadia. I am saying given the choice give me close and rectangular. I have been fortunate to attend many stadia around the world and i am only reflecting my opinion. Re the “winning over one-eyed anti-football journalists” has more to do with convincing our codes harshest critics that Association Football and the theatre it provides can change minds. Why not provide the best not second best. There is no large ground in Australia that most Australians would think Football first before any other code. There will be one day.
AR
Guest
"None of the stadiums used in any Fifa World Cup Finale during the past 24 years were designed for cricket and/or ARF." Well, mark that one down in stone. Did that come from your...ahem...archives?
Shouts Chen
Guest
Yes. I think Australia and New Zealand needs to get the World Cup Rights. Qatar is a terrible choice for hosting the World Cup due to extreme heat.
Socrates
Guest
During 2006 Commonwealth games the MCG playing surface was raised so the athletics' track could fit .
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
I'm sure there were lots of stadiums with athletics tracks. None of the stadiums used in any Fifa World Cup Finale during the past 24 years were designed for cricket and/or ARF. Check the dimensions of the MCG; then check the dimensions of an athletics track.
AR
Guest
Canman, "winning over one-eyed anti-football journalists" has nothing to with deciding how many (and what type of ) stadiums to build for a massive event like the World Cup. As noted above, the Maracana and Stade de France arent box-configured stadiums...and their atmosphere is pretty good.
Squizz
Guest
Here's my prediction. FIFA will take the tournament away from Qatar. It won't be on the corruption issue as that would implicate FIFA. Instead it will be based on these two points. 1) Qatari support of ISIS as per Sepp Blatter's comments to the Norwegian FA and 2) ISIS threating a Qatari World Cup with scud missiles as per threats received by FIFA. The obvious replacement is the US, However, if it was to remain in the AFC we would have a chance since we haven't hosted before and it would be only 20 years since Korea and Japan As far as stadiums. Existing - with only minor work needed, Homebush – 85,000 MCG - 100,000 Brisbane – 52,000 Adelaide 50,000 Perth – 60,000 (new stadium at Burswood) Allianz - 44000 Expansion stadiums NIB Perth - expand to 45,000 - frees up Perth stadium except for larger games or AFL plays hardball AAMI Expanded to 50,000 - frees up MCG except for larger games or AFL plays hardball Newcastle – 45,000 expand as per bid New Canberra - new Civic stadium 45,000 Townsville – new Cowboys stadium 45,000 Western Sydney Stadium at Parramatta or Liverpool 45,000 That is 12 stadiums with 9 (Homebush, SFS, Brisbane, NIB Perth, AAMI, Newcastle, Canberra, Townsville, Western Sydney Stadium) that we could secure without a problem from AFL across 8 host cities which meets the FIFA minimum requirements. If the SA government wants games then they can negotiate release of Adelaide Oval, If Perth or Victoria want larger games the their respective states governments can negotiate for release of the MCG and Perth Stadium. If SA cannot guarantee Adelaide Oval then they need to commit to a 45,000 rectangular or an alternative city found
AR
Guest
While you're checking your...ahem...archives, check whether 7 of the 13 approved stadiums listed in our previous WC Bid were oval configured stadiums.
nickoldschool
Roar Guru
No doubt there would be thousands of ppl willing to cough up thousands of dollars canman, the same way you have supporters who pay overpriced tickets to follow EPL teams. Thing is the same football fans who cant afford a seat at Emirates or Old Trafford and have been replaced by 'upper-mid class' fans wouldn't be able to afford a trip to Oz (or less so than other parts of the world). I was referring to those guys, the blokes who make 1,000-1,200 euros net/month in Europe (less than aud 2,000) and believe me they are many of them (and that's only western Europe!)
Canman
Guest
The point is not that it can't be done it is the atmosphere that can be created - Boca Juniors Bombonera 'Chocolate Box', Dortmond's Westfalenstadion, Valencia's Mestella or Glasgow Rangers Ibrox Park. They are the architectural masterpieces for the game. Base the game in this type of environment and the game will win over even the most one-eyed anti-football journalist.
Canman
Guest
Agree Davo Part of the attraction of Association Football is the atmosphere created within the stadium. I'm not saying that re-conformed ovals are not able to hold football matches but I am saying that to maximise the football experience rectangular is the go and close to the field of play. Anybody that has attended matches around the world can tell you that. To many in Oz need to 'feel' the game in another country to understand why it makes a difference.
Canman
Guest
Challenge you on that folks Having been to three World Cups I can tell you that there will be literally 10s of thousands of supporters who will find a way to get to Australia and live off nothing for a month to experience a World Cup. Middle class perspective if you think the festival of football is only for those with adequate incomes.
millane
Guest
this is an interesting point.... talk about legacy effects for soccer all you want... but on current crowd figures most if not all purpose built rectangular grounds would become white elephants....... if soccer wants this... let soccer pay for it
RBBAnonymous
Guest
As you may or not be aware the AFL would get involved. They would look to ensure that their season doesnt get interrupted and that any stadium infrastucture spent would also be spent on upgrading stadiums used by the AFL. One of the reasons I dont want the world cup is the ridiculous amount of money we would need to spend on football stadiums. Even Brasil spent an obscene amount on stadiums and other infrastructure. If we are even contemplating bidding for a world cup my preference is to build football specific stadiums or upgrade football specific stadiums because we currently lack those facilities.
Fussball ist unser leben
Roar Guru
Pretty sure the Australian bid documents had something about lowering the MCG surface to get another level of seating that would be closer to the playing area? Will have to check my archives.