Forum Klix.ba

Yep, no matter how many times you explain the issues, people seem to think that because we have big stadiums and public transport, we can meet FIFA's requirements. We can't. Reposting from the last time someone suggested this on this sub (less than two weeks ago):

FIFA need a minimum 14 stadiums that can seat 40,000 (we have 10, soon to be 11), and we would need to be able to have those stadiums with no AFL or NRL in the middle of their season. Given that almost all of those stadiums are used every week for Rugby, NRL or AFL... we would need to negotiate with all those codes to either shut down their seasons for the entirety of June and a sizable chunk of July, or pay them to move to other grounds. Then, once that's done, we'd still need 3 new/upgraded stadiums as a minimum just to meet seating requirements.

I cannot see a world where we can convince the AFL to go without MCG, Marvel (that is 100% owned by the AFL anyway), Adelaide Oval, Optus Stadium, SCG etc for the 8 weeks FIFA needs exclusive use of, but even if each code agrees to let FIFA have half the stadiums for that time, we would still be close to 10 stadiums short.

Then, many of our stadiums would require sizable refurbishment inside and out due to a lack of parking options - for example, the MCG doesn't meet the men's requirement for parking and the safety perimeter would have to start on the other side of the trainline in Melbourne Park, Allianz/SCG couldn't meet perimeter/safety requirements without also shutting down Moore Park Road, Driver Avenue, and potentially even moving some of the entire of the entertainment precinct inside the perimeter (which they did to some businesses in Vancouver), and neither Suncorp nor The Gabba would not be able to set up any perimeter that meets FIFA standards at all even if it shut down nearby streets and businesses as there isn't enough space... so we would not be able to have any games in Brisbane.

In theory, the outer perimeter is meant to provide enough space for 100% of ticketholders to be outside the stadium but inside the perimeter at any one time - that works really well at Accor, but is probably not physically possible at Suncorp/Gabba. Neither Qatar nor the US have any stadiums as tight to existing residential as we do. In Vancouver, which is the most congested area for any of the 2026 stadiums, the outer perimeter area is bigger than the stadium. We just can't provide that at every location without bulldozing entire blocks.

We are also required to provide a minimum 72 places for training camps that also have higher standard than the women's training camps, all that have hotels that are of the required standard with enough rooms for the entire squad/coaching/staff/hangers on (that's something like 60 rooms available) and it has to be within 20 minutes drive. We currently only have 13 across the whole country that currently meet that standard - there's zero doubt we could have at least triple that if we bothered to build the security/privacy fences and then get them certified, but it's another hurdle.

Then you've got the reality that the timezone and travel costs would make this the least profitable World Cup location, so you're asking a money centric organisation to vote against their primary interest.

TL;DR: we aren't hosting a World Cup anytime soon unless we're going to spend $10 billion plus and get AFL/NRL/Super Rugby/governments to all agree due to not enough large stadiums, no space for FIFA requirements around perimeters and parking, difficulties with training sites, and us being less profitable than anywhere else that could host.