Australia and New Zealand to link-up for 2023?

A combined Australian-New Zealand 2023 bid give both nations their best chance of hosting

Photo: US Soccer

It's no surprise that finally someone has figured out that combining with New Zealand is not merely the only way Australia can possibly meet a 32-team Women's World Cup in 2023 – the expansion from 24 teams was flagged by FIFA President Gianni Infantino in June – but it presents Australia's best chance of becoming hosts.

By itself, Australia will not be hosts.

With New Zealand, we have a much better chance because, as I outline in my book Whatever It Takes – the Inside Story of the FIFA Way, Oceania is an “open file” in FIFA since Australia left at the end of 2005.

Of the eight World Cup tournaments so far, two have been hosted within Asia (both in China), three in North America (USA twice plus Canada) and Europe also three times (Sweden, Germany and France). The FIFA confederations that have not hosted the tournament so far are South America, Africa and Oceania.

Even in 2008 for the men's World Cup bid of 2018/2022, consideration was given to a combined bid with New Zealand with suggestions from both then FIFA President Sepp Blatter and other Executive Committee members that it would give Australia its best chance.

What is not noted in this report from David Davutovic is that Nikou also said at the Football Victoria Community in Business lunch on Friday that he did not intend proceeding with the Women's World Cup Bid if Australia's bid was not supported by the Asian Football Confederation. It is a statement that perhaps has not been communicated to the FFA spokesperson who told Davutovic that “… we are committed to bidding to host a Women’s World Cup and we will study any revised requirements accordingly.”

Nikou's response is the correct one. Australia has no hope without AFC support and that is not assured with Japan and South Korea (possibly with North Korea) also bidding.

Other bidders include Argentina, Brazil, Bolivia, Colombia and South Africa.

In any case, with the decision on who will host the tournament still confined to a select group, and with FIFA expected to open up the commercial structure for the women's tournament to have its own sponsors, and broadcast revenue the continuing biggest contributor to revenue, the decision-making framework for the 2023 tournament has not changed significantly since the vote was made for the 2018 and 2022 men's tournaments – even if the individual voters have. It's not as if we haven't been warned.