News has emerged that Australia recently held talks with Indonesia in regards to a joint bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. The FFA (Football Federation Australia) released a statement confirming that the two nations were locked in talks last week.
“Football Federation Australia confirms it has held discussions with the Indonesia Football Association (PSSI) about the possibility to jointly bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup”.
However, this announcement has caused confusion. Prayuth Chan-o-cha, the Thai Prime Minister, confirmed that 10 Asian countries, including Thailand and Indonesia, would make a joint bid to host the tournament in 2034. This declaration came just days before the FFA’s statement was released.
The response from Indonesian officials is that it’s ready to work with ‘anyone’ in order to bring the world-famous competition to the archipelago.
Are Australia and Indonesia Ready to Host a FIFA World Cup?
Australia put in a bid to hold the 2022 World Cup but was controversially beaten by Qatar. However, there’s no doubt that the Aussies certainly have the facilities and infrastructure to deal with such a large-scale tournament.
You only have to take a look at previous events like the 2000 Summer Olympics, which took place in Sydney. More than 6.7 million tickets were sold, and the games were deemed to be a huge success.
What’s more, some of the greatest sports arenas in the world can be found down under. The MCG in Melbourne, for instance, holds up to 100,000 spectators and has been used for several high-profile events including the AFL Grand Final and 2015 International Champions Cup Final.
When you combine these iconic stadiums with fantastic transport systems and a tourist-friendly attitude, it seems like Australia would be a perfect candidate. Soccer is also on the rise in Australia, one look at an Australian soccer tips page will tell you that. However, does its potential counterpart meet the criteria?
The answer is yes. Indonesia has a few state-of-the-art venues that could strengthen any potential bid. The Gelora Bung Karno Stadium in Jakarta, for instance, has a maximum capacity of 77,193. Several top-class European sides including Juventus, Liverpool, Inter Milan, Chelsea, and Arsenal have played pre-season games here in the past.
If the Indo-Australian bid is successful, it’ll be the third time that the World Cup is played on Asian soil. Japan and South Korea hosted the tournament for the first time in 2002, and the 2022 World Cup is set to take place in Qatar. Australia has never hosted the competition before.
Who Will Launch a Rival Bid?
With the competition so far away, there’s still plenty of time for other nations to get involved. However, there’s talk that Egypt could be putting a bid together behind the scenes. The Pharaohs recently hosted the Africa Cup of Nations tournament, so it has the stadiums and infrastructure.
As we mentioned earlier, the Thai Prime Minister also confirmed that 10 Asian countries were contemplating a bid. It’s still too soon to say who’ll be successful, but there’s no doubt that Australia and Indonesia have fantastic credentials.