Socceroos hopes of hosting World Cup receive hammer blow with FIFA requirements meaning Australia would need to team up with TWO other nations to have any chance

Australia’s hopes of hosting the 2034 World Cup appear to be in tatters as FIFA requirements are onerous, meaning even a joint bid with New Zealand is likely to fail.

The Socceroos’ hopes of hosting the World Cup finals were already on thin ice with the Asian Football Confederation throwing its support behind Saudi Arabia for 2034.

Now it would take a miracle, with FIFA documents showing the requirements for hosting the World Cup would be outside Australia – even if it were combined with New Zealand for the bid.

Australia and New Zealand successfully teamed up to host the FIFA Women’s World Cup this year, but the requirements to host the men’s tournament are beyond the two countries’ reach.

FIFA recently announced that the 2030 World Cup will be hosted by six countries: Uruguay, Paraguay, Argentina, Spain, Portugal and Morocco.

The FIFA Women’s World Cup was successfully hosted by Australia and New Zealand, giving the countries hope that they could also host the men’s tournament

Australian football fans may have to wait a long time for a men’s World Cup on our shores due to FIFA requirements for an extended tournament

The 2026 tournament, co-hosted by Mexico, the US and Canada, will make history by hosting 48 teams playing a total of 104 matches.

It’s a model that will likely rule out Australia and New Zealand from hosting the tournament unless two new stadiums are built. FIFA requirements include:

• More than 14 stadiums but not more than 20 stadiums with a minimum capacity of 40,000 spectators
• stadiums with a capacity of 60,000 spectators for the semi-finals and 80,000 for the final
• At least 72 suitable training locations for base camps
• No fewer than 72 base camp accommodations located within a 20-minute drive from the training locations
• Each accommodation must be at least a four-star hotel, with a minimum of 80 guest rooms
• A requirement of at least four hotels for teams and four training locations per competition location
• Two hotels for referee base camps, along with their training facilities
• One five-star luxury hotel in each host city reserved for FIFA VIPs

Australia has nine stadiums with a capacity of more than 40,000, five of which are oval-shaped – including Melbourne’s MCG and Docklands Stadium, Perth Stadium, Adelaide Oval and the SCG.

On the other hand, New Zealand has only one stadium, Eden Park in Auckland, which can accommodate more than 40,000 spectators.

The requirements mean Australia and New Zealand will likely have to work with another nearby country at the Asian conference, likely Indonesia.

Eden Park is the only stadium in New Zealand that meets FIFA requirements to host Men’s World Cup matches

Asian Football Confederation President and FIFA Council Senior Vice President Shaikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa (left) backs Saudi Arabia for 2034

But Football Australia is not giving up hope, says a spokesperson ABC: ‘We try to gain insight into the required level of detail in a short time.’

But if the stadium demands don’t dash Australia’s hopes, a competing bid from Saudi Arabia almost certainly will.

Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, who serves as both President of the Asian Football Confederation and Senior Vice President of the FIFA Council, expressed his delight at the Saudi Football Federation’s announcement of their intention to bid.

“The entire Asian football family will be united in their support of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s momentous initiative, and we are committed to working closely with the global football family to ensure its success,” he said.

Although Saudi Arabia currently only has two suitable stadiums, it has billions to spend in its Public Investment Fund (PIF) and has the ability to combine with wealthy neighbors including the UAE, Bahrain and Qatar.