Is the time finally right for Australia to host the FIFA World Cup?

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In a story that caught the eyes of the Australian football community last week, sport and government officials are said to be planning a bid to host the 2030 or 2034 FIFA World Cup down under.

The idea to host the world’s biggest sporting event in Australia is a key part of a strategy that looks to bring a selection of major events to the country, on the back of Brisbane securing the 2032 Olympic Games.

FA CEO James Johnson explained that the governing body has not yet decided to bid for the World Cup, but suggested it is a part of the vision they have for the game.

“It’s an aspiration (hosting the World Cup), that’s part of our vision,” he told the Sydney Morning Herald.

“The next time I think we could realistically host it is 2034 because 2026 is in North America, 2022 is in Asia, 2030 – I think – will go to Europe or South America. There’s an opportunity to bring the World Cup back to Asia, the Asia-Pacific area, in 2034.”

A factor which should strengthen Australia’s case to be the home of a future World Cup is the hosting of the upcoming Women’s World Cup in 2023.

In a pattern which Australia is hoping to follow, Canada hosted the Women’s World Cup in 2015 and used it as a stepping stone to eventually win the right to host part of the 2026 World Cup, alongside Mexico and USA.

Australia, alongside co-hosts New Zealand, are set to sell a record number of tickets for the 2023 tournament.

FIFA have opened an office in Australia to assist with the dealings in the build-up to the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which gives FA access and the opportunity to open dialogue with FIFA administrators and pursue their future ambitions.

The FA CEO knows however, it is imperative that Australia delivers a world class tournament to stand any chance of winning the right to host a future World Cup.

“What I can say is we’ve got an opportunity with the 2023 Women’s World Cup – I think we will deliver an outstanding tournament. If we can deliver the best ever Women’s World Cup tournament, it does put you in a good position to take on more FIFA competitions,” Johnson said.

Australia was awarded the 2023 Women’s World Cup under a new FIFA voting process, which is also set to give the country more of a chance to win a further vote this time around in 2030 or more likely 2034.

Under Australia’s previous World Cup bid in 2010, they secured a singular vote from FIFA’s council.

However, the new voting method gives all 211 national member associations a chance to vote, rather than the previous secretive process which was conducted by FIFA council members.

Australia may have further success with this system due to the transparent nature of it and minimization of influence from FIFA’s top dogs.

One of those head honchos is Gianni Infantino, president of FIFA, who has steered the ship in the organisation after replacing Sepp Blatter in 2016.

Johnson believes Infantino’s approach to competitions would mean Australia is going to have to find a partnering country for any future bid for a World Cup.

“If you look at the way Gianni is wanting to run his competition strategies, he wants cross-nation competitions. I don’t see any future World Cups being run by one country,” said Johnson.

“It is something that would need to be done with other countries in the region, both in the Asia and probably Oceania region.”

FA have previously held discussions with Indonesia about hosting a World Cup and they, alongside New Zealand, are the most likely candidates to partner with Australia if they bid.

Sharing the bid with another country like Indonesia will have its benefits, such as improving relations between both countries and also halving the costs of an expensive exercise.

There will be difficulties that need to be worked out, but this may be Australia’s best chance to host a World Cup in the foreseeable future.

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A National Stage Built on Local Sacrifice

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Image credit: Football Australia / Brett Costello

The inaugural Australian Championship is over. On paper, it delivered exactly what it set out to do: a national stage for semi-professional clubs, meaningful football beyond state borders, and a new layer in Australia’s football structure.

For those involved, this was not just another competition. It was the final chapter in an already relentless year.

For clubs like Heidelberg United and Avondale, this campaign was not just about a new national competition suddenly appearing at the end of the calendar, it was the final chapter in a season that already felt never-ending, one that included long league campaigns, high-pressure finals series, and in Heidelberg’s case, an unforgettable Australian Cup run that carried them all the way to a national final, which sounds incredible when you say it quickly but feels very different when you consider the physical and emotional load that came with it.

There is no question that the Championship felt special, because for the first time in a long time semi-professional football felt properly connected to the national game, and you could see that in the way players approached it, in the way supporters travelled, and the way club volunteers kept showing up even when they were clearly running on fumes, because it finally felt like the work they do every week mattered on a bigger stage.

The inclusion of clubs like South Hobart summed that up perfectly, because suddenly this wasn’t just a mainland conversation anymore, it was a truly national one, stretching all the way across Bass Strait and reminding people that the heartbeat of the game doesn’t stop at the capital cities, and that communities in places like Hobart deserve to feel part of the same football narrative as everyone else.

That national reach was amplified even further by the fact that matches were available for free on SBS On Demand, it meant families, friends, junior players and casual fans could actually watch these clubs on a proper platform without a paywall standing in the way, and that kind of visibility, even in its early stages, changes how people perceive the level.

Travel became the most obvious pressure point, because national football sounds glamorous until you start adding up the flights, the buses, the extra nights away, and the time off work that players and staff have to take just to make it work, and in many cases those costs were not covered by new revenue streams but absorbed by people simply stretching themselves a little thinner each week.

The football itself lifted, and that part of the story is absolutely real, because players were exposed to different styles and standards, younger players were tested in environments that demanded quicker decisions and sharper focus, and coaches were forced to adapt instead of falling into the comfort of familiar weekly opponents, which is exactly what a national competition should do.

But the physical reality underneath that improvement was harder to ignore for anyone close to it, because a lot of these players were still heading to work on Monday mornings, still managing sore bodies with limited recovery support, still relying on ice baths, physio favours and common sense rather than the kind of integrated sports science systems that elite environments take for granted.

For Heidelberg in particular, the emotional high of making an Australian Cup final, was followed almost immediately by the demands of another national competition layered straight on top, and while the pride of that moment will last forever, the physical and financial cost of carrying that momentum forward is something that never really gets discussed in headlines.

Commercially, the Championship gave some clubs a genuine lift, with bigger crowds, renewed sponsor interest and a sense of momentum that had been missing for years, but for others the gains were far more modest, because national exposure on its own does not automatically translate into sustainable revenue when media reach is still limited and most attention remains inside football’s own bubble.

The deeper concern, though, sits quietly in the background of all of this, because many clubs stepped into this competition without real long-term certainty around what the future actually looks like in terms of funding, revenue sharing or how many seasons they can realistically keep absorbing these costs before something gives, and history shows that when systems are built on belief rather than protection, it is usually the clubs that end up carrying the consequences.

There is also a subtle reshaping of the local landscape happening in front of us, because the clubs with stronger backing, better facilities and more stable governance are now pulling further ahead, while others are working just as hard but starting further back, and a national competition naturally accelerates that separation whether anyone intends it to or not.

The Australian Championship has delivered opportunity, it has delivered exposure, and it has delivered moments that clubs like South Hobart and South Melbourne will carry for the rest of their histories but for the people who lived it day by day it has also delivered exhaustion, pressure and sacrifice in equal measure, and both parts of that story deserve to be told if this competition is going to grow into what it was always meant to be.

For many of these clubs, this season will be remembered not just as historic, but as the longest year of their football lives.

Meaningful Sponsorship: A Smarter Way to Drive Down Football Club Costs

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Meaningful sponsorship in football reducing club costs and supporting community clubs
Shutterstock | IOIO IMAGES

In the last 30 years of being involved in the football ecosystem, I have seen firsthand the incredible impact football has on communities across Australia. From weekend volunteers to local families, football thrives because of the people who dedicate their time energy and passion to the game. Yet I also see the rising pressures on clubs and families. Increasing registration fees facility costs and operational expenses threaten the very accessibility that makes our sport special.

That is why I firmly believe that meaningful sponsorship in football is no longer optional. It is essential. Not just for financial survival but to ensure clubs can invest in programs support players and keep football accessible for every child parent and volunteer in our community.

Why Meaningful Sponsorship in Football Is the Future of Club Funding

From my perspective leading Soccerscene, community football holds enormous commercial value but it is too often under-leveraged. In Victoria, alone, there are more than 350 registered football clubs representing tens of thousands of players families and engaged supporters. That collective scale rivals many professional sporting codes and represents a real opportunity to secure sustainable value-driven partnerships.

The challenge is shifting clubs and federations away from short-term transactional sponsorships and toward relationships that deliver long-term financial impact and community benefit.

Toyota and the Long-Term Meaningful Sponsorship Model

A perfect example of this approach is Toyota’s long-standing partnership with Heidelberg United. Since the National Premier Leagues Victoria launched in 2014, Toyota has been a major sponsor of Heidelberg United. This makes it one of the longest-running and most stable sponsorships in the competition.

This partnership is not just about logos on jerseys, it is about building community trust stability and shared values. It mirrors Toyota’s broader AFL involvement through programs like the Good for Footy Program which supports grassroots football clubs across Australia.

President and CEO of Toyota Australia, Matt Callachor said when renewing Toyota’s national football partnership said via Official Media Press Release.

“A vital part of the sponsorship is Toyota’s focus on community clubs with its Good for Footy Program. The extension of the sponsorship will only enhance the opportunities available for grassroots football clubs over the coming years.”

From my perspective this is exactly what meaningful sponsorship in football should look like. Long-term community-focused and designed to strengthen the game at every level.

How Energy Companies Are Powering Community Football

Automotive is not the only sector seeing the value of football communities. Energy companies are also stepping up. AGL’s partnership with St Kilda Football Club in the AFL demonstrates how sponsorship can go beyond brand visibility to deliver tangible benefits including sustainability initiatives and member incentives.

St Kilda CEO Carl Dilena commented via Club press release.

“Partnerships such as the one with AGL not only positively impact football programs but the community as well. Through the assistance of AGL we’re making our facilities more environmentally friendly playing our part in shoring up the future of our community.”

Group General Manager at AGL, Ryan Warburton added via press release.

“We will be engaging with St Kilda’s business community as well as offering energy deals for members and fans who choose AGL.”

At the recent Football Queensland Convention Football Queensland confirmed that it has applied a similar model leveraging commercial partnerships to directly reduce registration costs for players across the state. This demonstrates the real potential of meaningful sponsorship in football to lower costs while supporting communities.

Why Contra Deals Undermine Sustainable Football Sponsorship

From my experience in the industry, contra deals are often promoted as a “cost-effective” alternative, but in reality they rarely build the long-term stability clubs need. Clubs trade valuable exposure for goods or services rather than securing cash that can be reinvested into player programs facilities or coaching development.

An industry expert summarised it well:

“Contra deals might offer short-term relief but they don’t build reserves. Real sponsorship with cash activation and commitment gives clubs power to invest in growth talent and affordability.”

Low-value sponsorship can also push clubs toward riskier categories including wagering services, beverage sector or fast food which may conflict with the values of the football community. Meaningful sponsorship by contrast aligns commercial investment with community benefit helping clubs build long-term resilience.

The Future of Meaningful Sponsorship in Football

The future of football funding will not be built on short-term swaps or tokenistic exposure. It must be built on

  • Scale through collective club and membership leverage
  • Long-term commercial alignment not one-season deals
  • Sponsors who invest in community outcomes not just logos

The Toyota-Heidelberg example demonstrates how trust and longevity can transform an NPL club’s commercial stability. The AGL-St Kilda model shows how member incentives and infrastructure investment can work at scale in AFL. Football Queensland shows how federations can leverage commercial success to lower player costs.

Together these examples form a clear roadmap for the future of meaningful sponsorship in football.

Conclusion

I firmly believe that football must embrace strategic long-term partnerships to ensure affordability, participation, growth and sustainability. Meaningful sponsorship is not about who can supply the most banners. It is about who can help keep a child registered to a club and connected to a community.

The models already exist. It is now up to clubs, federations and commercial partners to adopt them collectively commercially and boldly.

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