WEEKLY WHINE

Who wants to host the Men’s World Cup

Eleven bids have been made to host the 2018 and 2022 Men’s World Cups, involving thirteen different nations. Here we review each bid and the venues that are currently under consideration. We also rank each bid’s venues, taking into account both the stadium itself and the capabilities of the surrounding metropolitan market. We then recommend which venues each bid should propose, and finally, we rank each bid from best to worst and recommend hosts for each tournament.

Nation[s]	2018	2022	Venues
Australia	¤	¤	9
England	¤	¤	25
Indonesia	¤	¤	5
Japan	¤	¤	14
Korea Rep		¤	12
Mexico	¤	¤	11
Netherlands/Belgium	¤	¤	12
Qatar		¤	9
Russia	¤	¤	10
Spain/Portugal	¤	¤	35
United States	¤	¤	32

AUSTRALIA

The Football Federation of Australia currently has no information about which venues it intends to propose. [Seriously. See for yourself.] Therefore we are listing all current venues that could be used for a Men’s World Cup in Australia.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	Sydney, NSW	ANZ Stadium	1999	83,500
02	Melbourne, VIC	Melbourne Cricket Ground	1853	100,000
03	Brisbane, QLD	Suncorp Stadium	2003	52,579
04	Melbourne, VIC	Etihad Stadium	2000	53,371
05	Sydney, NSW	Sydney Football Stadium	1988	45,500
06	Adelaide, SA	AAMI Stadium	1974	51,515
07	Perth, WA	Subiaco Oval	1908	42,922
08	Sydney, NSW	Sydney Cricket Ground	1851	43,562
09	Brisbane, QLD	The Gabba	2005	42,000

We recommend that Australia propose all of these stadiums except the Sydney Cricket Ground and The Gabba. To reach FIFA’s minimum of twelve stadiums, we further recommend that Australia propose to build or expand five additional stadiums. Our suggestions are Skilled Park in Gold Coast, QLD; EnergyAustralia Stadium in Newcastle, NSW; Central Coast Stadium in Gosford, NSW; Skilled Stadium in Geelong, VIC; and Canberra Stadium in Canberra, ACT. Other alternatives might include the Brookvale Oval in Manly, NSW; the International Stadium in Coffs Harbour, NSW; WIN Stadium in Wollongong, NSW; Olympic Park Stadium in Melbourne, VIC; and new stadiums in Cairns, QLD; Hobart, TAS; or Darwin, NT.

ENGLAND

Owing to the reforms of the 1990s, British stadiums are all seaters, as required for FIFA tournaments. England has a number of venues that are already large enough, plus several listed here that are planned to be built or expanded such that they will be large enough by the time an English World Cup takes place.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	London	Wembley Stadium	2007	90,000
02	Manchester	Old Trafford	1910	76,098
03	London	Emirates Stadium	2006	60,000
04	Liverpool	Stanley Park Stadium**	N/A	60,000
05	Newcastle	St James’ Park	2000	52,143
06	Leeds	Elland Road	1996	40,204
07	Birmingham	City of Birmingham Stadium**	N/A	55,000
08	Leicester	Walkers Stadium	2002	32,500
09	Nottingham	New Nottingham Stadium**	N/A	50,000
10	Sunderland	Stadium of Light	2000	49,000
11	Manchester	City of Manchester Stadium	2002	48,000
12	London	Tottenham Hotspur Stadium**	N/A	60,000
13	Sheffield	Hillsborough Stadium	1996	39,859
14	Derby	Pride Park	1997	34,000
15	Birmingham	Villa Park	1897	43,275
16	Portsmouth	Portsmouth Dockland Stadium**	N/A	40,000
17	Bristol	Bristol City Stadium**	N/A	42,000
18	Hull	KC Stadium	2002	25,404
19	Milton Keynes	Stadium MK	2007	22,000
20	Plymouth	[new stadium]**	N/A	40,000
21	London	Twickenham Stadium	1981	82,000
22	Liverpool	Anfield	1884	45,000
23	Sheffield	Don Valley Stadium	1991	25,000
24	Liverpool	Goodison Park	1892	40,200
25	Sheffield	Bramall Lane	1966	33,500
** Proposed

We recommend that England propose stadiums 1-18 on our list, regretting that it would not be possible to rank Wembley higher than first. Though we note that development of Stanley Park Stadium is on hold because the Liverpool owners cannot afford to build anything, we are confident that should England be awarded the 2018 or 2022 Men’s World Cup, money will be found to construct the stadium.

INDONESIA

Though Indonesia is still officially in the running for the 2018 Men’s World Cup, its bid website makes no mention of 2018. However, it also makes no mention of which venues it intends to propose. Below are listed the current venues that could be used.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	Jakarta	Bung Karno Stadium	1962	88,083
02	Palembang	Jakabaring Stadium	2004	55,000
03	Samarinda	Palaran Stadium	2008	60,000
04	Kota Palopo	Lagaligo Stadium	?	50,000
05	Bandung	Jalak Harupat Soreang	?	40,000

We recommend that Indonesia propose all of these stadiums. We further recommend that Indonesia propose expanding seven other existing stadiums: Kanjuruhan Stadium in Malang, Maguwoharjo Stadium in Sleman, Delta Stadium in Sidoardjo, Gelora 10 Nopember in Surabaya, Mattoangin Stadium in Makassar, Tri Dharma Stadium in Gresik, and Mandala Krida Stadium in Yogyakarta.

JAPAN

Though the Japan Football Association has yet to form a bid committee, it does have the advantage of having cohosted the 2002 Men’s World Cup. Below are listed the current venues that could be used. Of these, Nissan Stadium, Saitama Stadium 2002, Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa, Nagai Stadium, Miyagi Stadium, Ōita Big Eye Stadium, Niigata Stadium, Kashima Soccer Stadium, and the Sapporo Dome hosted Korea/Japan 2002 matches.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	Yokohama	Nissan Stadium	1997	72,370
02	Saitama	Saitama Stadium 2002	2001	63,700
03	Shizuoka	Shizuoka Stadium Ecopa	2001	51,349
04	Rifu	Miyagi Stadium	2000	49,281
05	Sapporo	Sapporo Dome	2001	42,122
06	Ōita	Ōita Big Eye Stadium	2001	43,254
07	Toyota	Toyota Stadium	2001	45,000
08	Osaka	Nagai Stadium	1996	50,000
09	Kashima	Kashima Soccer Stadium	1991	41,800
10	Niigata	Niigata Stadium	2001	42,700
11	Hiroshima	Hiroshima Big Arch Stadium	1993	45,000
12	Tokyo	Olympic Stadium	1958	57,363
13	Tokyo	Ajinomoto Stadium	2000	50,000
14	Kobe	Universiade Memorial	1985	45,000

We recommend that Japan propose these fourteen stadiums, as well as Kobe Wing Stadium, the other Korea/Japan 2002 venue. Though its capacity has since been reduced below 40,000, we recommend proposing a temporary expansion for a Japanese World Cup.

KOREA REP

The Korean Football Federation also has not yet formed a bid committee but also cohosted the 2002 Men’s World Cup. Below are listed the current venues that could be used. Of these, all but Goyang Stadium and Olympic Stadium hosted Korea/Japan 2002 matches.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	Seoul	Sang-am Stadium	2001	64,677
02	Daegu	Daegu Stadium	2001	68,014
03	Busan	Asiad Main Stadium	2001	55,982
04	Gwangju	Guus Hiddink Stadium	2001	42,880
05	Incheon	Incheon Munhak Stadium	2001	52,179
06	Seogwipo	Jeju World Cup Stadium	2001	42,256
07	Suwon	Big Bird Stadium	2001	44,047
08	Goyang	Goyang Stadium	2003	43,131
09	Jeonju	Jeonju Castle	2001	42,477
10	Daejeon	Purple Arena	2001	42,176
11	Ulsan	Big Crown Stadium	2001	43,550
12	Seoul	Olympic Stadium	1984	69,841

We recommend that Korea Rep propose these twelve stadiums. We further recommend that Korea Rep propose expanding Changwon Stadium in Changwon, Ansan Wa Stadium in Ansan, and Gangneung Stadium in Gangneung.

MEXICO

Mexico is the only country on this list that has already hosted two Men’s World Cups. It has not yet formed a bid committee, but as can be seen, there are several suitable venues, with more to be completed in the next couple of years.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	México, DF	Estadio Azteca	1966	105,064
02	Monterrey, NL	Estadio Internacional Monterrey**	2011	75,000
03	Guadalajara, Jal	Estadio Chivas*	2010	45,000
04	Monterrey, NL	Estadio Monterrey*	2011	50,000
05	Ciudad Juárez, Chih	Arena Indios*	2010	40,000
06	Puebla, Pue	Estadio Cuauhtémoc	1968	42,649
07	Morelia, Mich	Estadio Morelos	1989	41,056
08	Monterrey, NL	Estadio Universitario	1967	45,000
09	Querétaro, Qro	Estadio La Corregidora	1985	50,000
10	México, DF	Estadio Olímpico Universitario	1952	72,449
11	Guadalajara, Jal	Estadio Jalisco	1958	63,163
* Under construction
** Proposed

We recommend that Mexico propose these stadiums, as well as expansions to Estadio Nou Camp in León, Gto; Estadio Universitario in Toluca, Méx; Estadio 3 de Marzo in Zapopan, Jal; Estadio Luis de la Fuente in Veracruz, Ver; and the proposed Nuevo Estadio Azul in México, DF.

NETHERLANDS/BELGIUM

One downside to a Netherlands/Belgium bid is that most proposed venues currently fall short of FIFA’s required capacity of 40,000. But most venues listed below are planned to be expanded to at least that number by 2018. Furthermore, Rotterdam plans to build a new stadium with a capacity of 80,000 to 100,000, large enough to host the opening and final matches.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	Rotterdam, NED	De Niew Kuip**	N/A	80,000
02	Amsterdam, NED	Amsterdam ArenA	1996	51,324
03	Brussels, BEL	[new stadium]**	N/A	60,000
04	Eindhoven, NED	Philips Stadion	1913	36,500
05	Gent, BEL	Arteveldestadion*	2011	20,000
06	Heerenveen, NED	Abe Lenstra Stadion	1993	26,000
07	Enschede, NED	De Grolsch Veste	1998	24,244
08	Genk, BEL	Cristal Arena	1999	24,604
09	Brugge, BEL	[new stadium]**	N/A	N/A
10	Antwerp, BEL	[new stadium]**	N/A	N/A
11	Charleroi, BEL	[new stadium]**	N/A	N/A
12	Liège, BEL	[new stadium]**	N/A	N/A
* Under construction
** Proposed

We recommend that Netherlands/Belgium propose all of these stadiums. We further recommend hastening development of plans for the new stadiums so that a more detailed proposal can be made available.

QATAR

You may wonder how Qatar, which has summer temperatures in excess of 310 K, intends to host a Men’s World Cup comfortably. According to bid committee chairman Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad bin Khalifa Al-Thani, air conditioning is part of the solution. He also added, cryptically, “We have other plans up our sleeves as well.” As Qatar are definitely outsiders for 2022, we may never find out what those plans are. Since there are currently only nine football venues in Qatar, let’s have a look at them.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	Doha	Khalifa International Stadium	2005	50,000
02	Umm-Affai	Ahmed Bin Ali Stadium	2003	25,000
03	Al-Gharafa	Al-Gharafa Stadium	2003	25,000
04	Doha	Al-Ahli Stadium	?	20,000
05	Al-Khawr	Al-Khawr Stadium	?	20,000
06	Al-Wakrah	Al-Wakrah Stadium	?	20,000
07	Doha	Jassim Bin Hamad Stadium	2004	17,000
08	Doha	Suhaim Bin Hamad Stadium	?	19,000
09	Doha	Grand Hamad Stadium	?	18,000

We recommend that Qatar propose all these stadiums, with appropriate expansion plans. Qatar must also find at least three places to put new stadiums, but we will take this opportunity to ban artificial island stadiums.

RUSSIA

Currently Russia has only ten football venues with a capacity of 30,000 or greater, and only one with a capacity of over 40,000. But it’s a good one.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	Moscow	Luzhniki Stadion	1956	84,745
02	Moscow	Dinamo Stadion	1928	36,540
03	Samara	Metallurg Stadion	1957	35,330
04	Rostov-na-Donu	SKA SKVO Stadion	2002	33,000
05	Volgograd	Tsentralnyi Stadion	2002	32,120
06	Voronezh	Tsentralnyi Profsoyuz	2003	31,743
07	Kazan	Tsentralnyi Stadion	1960	30,000
08	Moscow	Lokomotiv Stadion	2002	30,979
09	Astrakhan	Tsentralnyi Stadion	1955	30,500
10	Vladikavkaz	Republikan Spartak	?	32,574

We recommend that Russia start working on plans to expand these stadiums and build some new ones.

SPAIN/PORTUGAL

Whilst Spain have announced the cities that have expressed interest in hosting an Iberian Men’s World Cup, Portugal have yet to make such an announcement. Thus, we have selected current and proposed venues in the announced Spanish cities as well as certain major Portuguese cities.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	Madrid, ESP	Estadio Santiago Bernabéu	1947	80,354
02	Barcelona, ESP	Camp Nou	1957	98,934
03	Lisbon, POR	Estádio da Luz	2003	65,647
04	Sevilla, ESP	Estadio Manuel Ruiz de Lopera	2001	55,500
05	Sevilla, ESP	Estadio Ramón Sánchez Pizjuán	1958	55,000
06	Valencia, ESP	Nou Mestalla*	2010	82,000
07	Bilbao, ESP	San Mames Barria**	2012	58,000
08	Lisbon, POR	Estádio Alvalade XXI	2003	50,300
09	Porto, POR	Estádio do Dragão	2003	50,106
10	Zaragoza, ESP	Nuevo Estadio de San José**	2012	43,000
11	Barcelona, ESP	Estadi Cornellà-El Prat	2009	40,500
12	Valencia, ESP	Estadio Mestalla	1923	53,000
13	Madrid, ESP	Estadio La Peineta*	2012	73,000
14	Madrid, ESP	Estadio Vicente Calderón	1966	57,500
15	Sevilla, ESP	Estadio de la Cartuja	1999	72,000
16	Elche, ESP	Estadio Martínez Valero	1976	38,740
17	La Coruña, ESP	Estadio Riazor	1945	35,800
18	Aveiro, POR	Municipal de Aveiro	2003	30,678
19	Lisbon, POR	Estádio Nacional	1944	39,000
20	Zaragoza, ESP	Estadio La Romareda	1957	34,700
21	Vigo, ESP	Estadio Balaidos	1928	31,800
22	Murcia, ESP	Estadio Nueva Condomina	2006	33,045
23	Málaga, ESP	Estadio La Rosaleda	1942	33,000
24	Faro, POR	Estádio Algarve	2003	30,305
25	San Sebastián, ESP	Estadio Anoeta	1993	32,000
26	Braga, POR	Municipal de Braga	2003	30,154
27	Oviedo, ESP	Nuevo Carlos Tartiere	2000	30,000
28	Coimbra, POR	Cidade de Coimbra	2003	30,154
29	Bilbao, ESP	Estadio San Mamés	1913	39,750
30	Alicante, ESP	Estadio José Rico Pérez	1974	29,584
31	Valladolid, ESP	Estadio José Zorrilla	1982	26,512
32	Gijón, ESP	Estadio El Molinón	1917	25,885
33	Santander, ESP	Estadio El Sardinero	1988	22,400
34	Salamanca, ESP	Estadio El Helmántico	1970	17,341
35	Badajoz, ESP	Nuevo Estadio Vivero	1999	15,200
* Under construction
** Proposed

We recommend that Spain/Portugal propose stadiums 1-18 on our list.

UNITED STATES

The US is unique in that it need not construct or renovate any new venues to host a Men’s World Cup. The list below is the current list being worked by the USA Bid Committee. It has been downselected from a longer list of 61.

Rank	Market	Stadium	Constructed	Capacity
01	New York City, NY	Meadowlands Stadium*	2010	82,500
02	Washington, DC	FedEx Field	1997	91,665
03	Boston, MA	Gillette Stadium	2002	68,756
04	Chicago, IL	Soldier Field	1924	61,500
05	Seattle, WA	Qwest Field	2002	67,000
06	Phoenix, AZ	University of Phoenix Stadium	2006	63,400
07	Dallas, TX	Cowboys Stadium	2009	80,000
08	Philadelphia, PA	Lincoln Financial Field	2003	68,532
09	Cleveland, OH	Cleveland Browns Stadium	1999	73,200
10	Baltimore, MD	M&T Bank Stadium	1998	69,084
11	Houston, TX	Reliant Stadium	2002	71,054
12	Charlotte, NC	Bank of America Stadium	2006	63,400
13	Detroit, MI	Ford Field	2002	64,500
14	Miami, FL	Land Shark Stadium	1987	75,540
15	Nashville, TN	LP Field	1999	68,932
16	Los Angeles, CA	Rose Bowl	1922	92,542
17	Kansas City, MO	Arrowhead Stadium	1972	79,451
18	Indianapolis, IN	Lucas Oil Stadium	2008	70,000
19	Denver, CO	Invesco Field	2001	76,125
20	San Diego, CA	Qualcomm Stadium	1967	71,294
21	San Francisco/​Oakland, CA	Stanford Stadium	1921	50,000
22	Tampa, FL	Raymond James Stadium	1998	65,647
23	St Louis, MO	Edward Jones Dome	1995	66,000
24	Seattle, WA	Husky Stadium	1920	72,500
25	Dallas, TX	Cotton Bowl	1932	92,200
26	Los Angeles, CA	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	1923	63,607
27	Detroit, MI	Michigan Stadium	1927	106,201
28	Jacksonville, FL	Jacksonville Municipal Stadium	1995	76,877
29	Atlanta, GA	Georgia Dome	1992	71,149
30	Orlando, FL	Florida Citrus Bowl	1936	70,188
31	Washington, DC	RFK Memorial Stadium	1961	56,454
32	San Francisco/​Oakland, CA	Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum	1966	63,026
* Under construction

We recommend that the US propose stadiums 1-18 on our list. The Rose Bowl, Cowboys Stadium, FedEx Field, and Meadowlands Stadium are all large enough to host the opening match and final; we recommend Meadowlands Stadium for the opening match, FedEx Field and Qwest Field for the semifinal matches, Cowboys Stadium for the third place match, and the Rose Bowl for the final.

OVERALL EVALUATION

Though most bids would have quite a bit of construction to do, this is nothing new for major football tournaments. Overall, most of these nations would be capable of hosting the Men’s World Cup – if not now, then certainly by 2022.

We have evaluated these bids based upon the venues, geographic distribution, travel infrastructure [including intracity, intercity, and international], accommodations infrastructure, security, and amount of preparatory work required. A score of four in each category is best.

Nation[s]	Venues	Geography	Travel	Accommodations	Security	Preparation	Total
Spain/Portugal	4	4	4	4	3	3	22
United States	4	4	4	4	2	4	22
England	4	4	4	3	3	3	21
Korea Rep	3	4	4	3	4	3	21
Japan	3	3	4	3	4	3	20
Netherlands/Belgium	3	4	4	4	4	1	20
Australia	2	3	4	2	3	1	15
Qatar	0	4	4	3	2	0	13
Mexico	1	2	2	2	0	1	8
Russia	1	1	2	2	1	0	7
Indonesia	0	2	0	2	0	0	4

Spain/Portugal and the United States, as top scorers, are therefore the natural choices. Since the United States received a higher score in the amount of preparatory work required, we here at GoobNet have decided to award the 2018 Men’s World Cup to the United States and the 2022 Men’s World Cup to Spain/Portugal. We look forward to seeing you at each of these tournaments.