The men’s football World Cup will be held in Qatar in 2022 and for the first time in history will be played during the winter months in the perspective of sides from the northern hemisphere.
Qatar beat out competition from the United States in the final ballot to secure the role as host for the first time. Australia also bid for the tournament, but received only one vote in the first round and were eliminated from the process. FIFA has declared their ambition to take the World Cup to all corners of the globe, although the continent of Oceania has been ignored for the men’s competition to date. A breakthrough emerged as Australia and New Zealand’s joint bid for the women’s 2023 World Cup won the rights for the competition.
However, it remains to be seen whether it will inject enthusiasm for the sport in a country which places football down the pecking order among its favourites. Aussie rules, rugby league, rugby union and cricket all hold pride of preference ahead of football in Australia. The A-League does have a cult following, but it pales into insignificance compared to the other leading sports in terms of attendance. An average of 8,617 fans attended A-League games last season. Melbourne Victory are leading the way by averaging 17,366 supporters at AAMI Park, but that mark is just over half full.
There have been spikes in popularity when Australia have competed in the men’s World Cup, notably reaching the round of 16 at the 2006 edition when the Socceroos were only beaten by Italy courtesy of a stoppage-time strike from Francesco Totti. Australia have been knocked out at the group stage in the last three tournaments, but have always punched above their weight. The Socceroos are backed in the football betting odds at 250/1 to win the 2022 World Cup, showing that it would be an extraordinary feat and most certainly beyond Graham Arnold and his team. A similar run to 2006 might be enough to increase interest in the game and prompt another hosting bid.
Unlike past hosts such as Russia, Brazil and South Africa and future hosts Qatar, Australia are ready-made to take on an event such as the World Cup. In their 2022 bid, the organising committee earmarked 12 venues that were built or in the process of construction. Only two new stadiums were outlined as a requirement for the tournament – a third was already in the works in Perth to replace the WACA. All venues boasted a capacity over 25,000, while all located within the major hubs of the country on the east coast – Perth was the only outlier. However, for one reason or another that have come to light regarding investigations into the process, Australia’s bid failed.
Football Federation Australia rectified their issues with their counterparts in New Zealand to secure the women’s World Cup. A lot of same venues that were earmarked for the 2022 World Cup will be utilised in 2023. It may give Australia hope that once FIFA executives witness the inner workings of the sporting infrastructure of the country, which is a hotbed of sport, then they could be convinced in the future to bring football’s main event to Australian shores for the first time. It certainly deserves a second opportunity to at least propose how it would showcase the World Cup in 2030 or beyond, which may bring the game into the forefront of Australian sport in future generations.
