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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Grassroots Clubs Want to Grow – But They Need the Tools to Do It

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Image Credit: One-Nil Media

Across Australia, grassroots football clubs are doing extraordinary work to keep the game alive in their communities. Volunteers line fields, coordinate registrations, organise sponsorships and manage finances – often all at once. But new survey insights suggest something deeper: clubs want to grow commercially, yet many lack the knowledge and systems required to do so.

The results point to a clear reality. Community football’s commercial potential exists, but it remains largely untapped.

When asked about their club’s commercial strategy, confidence was strikingly low. Half of respondents (50%) said their club has only a limited commercial strategy, while 25% admitted there is no clear strategy at all. Only 25% described their approach as somewhat confident, and notably no respondents felt “very confident” about their club’s commercial direction.

Image Credit: One-Nil Media

For a sport that prides itself on being the most participated in Australia, that figure should give administrators pause.

Community clubs are often expected to behave like small businesses – raising revenue, managing stakeholders and investing in infrastructure. Yet the data suggests many are navigating these expectations without a clear roadmap.

The question then becomes: where are clubs currently generating revenue?

The survey shows that sponsorship and memberships dominate equally, each accounting for 50% of the primary revenue sources identified by respondents. Events, often seen as a key opportunity for community engagement and fundraising, accounted for 0% of responses as the main income generator.

Image Credit: One-Nil Media

This reliance on two core streams highlights a structural vulnerability. Sponsorship and memberships are important pillars, but they are also susceptible to economic pressures and local community fluctuations. Without diversified revenue, such as events, partnerships, digital engagement, or merchandising, clubs risk stagnating financially.

However, perhaps the most revealing insight from the survey relates to the barriers clubs face in expanding their commercial capabilities.

A significant 75% of respondents identified a lack of commercial knowledge as the biggest barrier to growth. The remaining 25% pointed to volunteer capacity.

Image Credit: One-Nil Media

This distinction is crucial. It suggests the issue is not simply about manpower, but also expertise.

Volunteers remain the lifeblood of grassroots football, but expecting them to also function as marketing managers, sponsorship strategists and commercial analysts may be unrealistic without proper support. In many cases, passionate community members are asked to perform professional-level commercial tasks with limited guidance.

That challenge becomes even clearer when examining how clubs track their commercial performance.

Only 25% of respondents said their club tracks return on investment consistently, while 75% said they do so only sometimes.

Image Credit: One-Nil Media

Without consistent measurement, it becomes difficult for clubs to demonstrate value to sponsors, justify investments, or refine strategies. In modern sport, data-driven decision making is not a luxury; it is essential.

For community clubs competing for attention and funding in crowded local markets, the ability to measure impact could be the difference between securing long-term partnerships and losing potential sponsors.

Encouragingly, the survey also highlights where clubs believe solutions may lie.

When asked what support they need most to grow revenue, 50% of respondents identified commercial education as the priority. Meanwhile 25% called for better commercial tools, and another 25% highlighted the need for stronger media and content capabilities.

Image Credit: One-Nil Media

Taken together, these responses paint a consistent picture: grassroots clubs are not asking for handouts, they are asking for knowledge, systems, and support.

This presents a major opportunity for football’s governing bodies, commercial partners and industry stakeholders.

If the sport is serious about strengthening the foundations of the game, investing in commercial capability at the community level must become part of the strategy. That could mean workshops for volunteers, accessible sponsorship toolkits, digital platforms that simplify partnership management or better storytelling frameworks that help clubs showcase their value to local businesses.

The demand clearly exists.

Community football already delivers enormous social return by bringing people together, supporting youth development and strengthening local identity. The challenge now is ensuring clubs have the commercial frameworks required to sustain that impact.

Because the truth is simple: grassroots clubs are willing to do the work.

They just need the tools.

And if Australian football wants to unlock the full potential of its largest participation base, empowering community clubs commercially may be one of the most important investments the game can make.

Five Matildas figures recognised Among Australia’s Most Influential Women in Sport

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Mary Fowler walks out onto the pitch during Australia v Korea in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. Image Credit: Rachel Bach; By The White Line

Code Sports‘ annual list of the 100 most influential women in sport is one of the more closely watched measures of where women’s sport in Australia stands. This year’s edition, released against the backdrop of a record-breaking home Women’s Asian Cup, features five women connected to Australian football across its top 100. Their collective presence on the list reflects a sport that is, by almost any measure, in the midst of a significant moment.

Mary Fowler has been ranked the most influential woman in Australian sport for the second time in three years, topping Code Sports’ annual list of 100 as the CommBank Matildas compete in a home AFC Women’s Asian Cup that has already rewritten the record books for women’s football globally.

Fowler’s ranking comes after a year defined as much by what happened off the pitch as on it. An ACL injury in April 2025 threatened to rule the Manchester City forward out of a home tournament with ten months to recover. She returned to club football in February 2026, was named in Joe Montemurro’s squad, and scored on her first start for Australia in 332 days, finding the net in a 4-0 win over Iran at Stadium Australia in front of a capacity crowd.

Sarah Walsh, ranked 14th, has been central to that shift as Chief Operating Officer of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026 Local Organising Committee. The former Matilda has overseen a tournament that has surpassed 250,000 tickets sold, demolishing the previous all-time record of 59,910 set across the entire 2010 edition in China. The opening match in Perth drew a record-breaking attendance of  44,379 fans at a Women’s Asian Cup. It lasted one week before 60,279 people filled Stadium Australia on International Women’s Day for Australia versus Korea Republic.

Those numbers carry weight beyond the scoreboard. They make the commercial and strategic case for continued investment in the women’s game in a way that advocacy alone cannot.

From the Pitch to the Boardroom

Captain Sam Kerr enters the list at 17, having returned from a 634-day ACL absence to score two goals in the tournament, including the opener in Perth on the first night. Kerr’s presence in the squad, and her continued ability to perform at the highest level, reinforces the argument that the Matildas’ 2023 World Cup run was not a ceiling.

Heather Garriock arrives at number seven having become the first woman to lead Football Australia, appointed Interim CEO in 2025 before transitioning into a newly created Executive Director of Football and Deputy CEO role following the appointment of Martin Kugeler as permanent CEO in February 2026. The role was designed to retain her influence within the organisation. With the Socceroos preparing for a sixth consecutive FIFA World Cup and the Matildas mid-tournament, Garriock’s position at the executive level of the sport’s governing body is not incidental.

At number 84, Lydia Williams enters the list in retirement. A proud Noongar woman and recent recipient of Professional Footballers Australia’s Alex Tobin Medal, the organisation’s highest honour for career-long contribution, Williams made her international debut in 2005 and retired in 2024 with more than 100 caps, becoming the first Australian female goalkeeper to reach that milestone and only the second Indigenous footballer after Kyah Simon to do so. She now sits on the board of the Australian Sports Commission.

The transition from player to policymaker matters because the decisions shaping Australian sport in the next decade will be made in rooms that have not always had people like Williams in them. Her presence there is part of the same story the rest of this list is telling.

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