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The CEO of Football Australia says they are seriously considering a bid for the 2034 FIFA men’s World Cup following the wild success of the women’s tournament the past month.
Reaching unprecedented public interest, the Matildas captured the hearts of Australia with their run to the semi-finals.
And although they missed out on bronze with Saturday’s loss to Sweden, Football Australia are keen to continue the momentum.
Football Australia CEO James Johnson revealed attention is firmly set on the men’s showpiece event in 2034.
“When you host the best ever Women’s World Cup, naturally, a lot of people around the world are talking about what’s next,” he said on Sunrise.
“2034 is the next men’s world cup, we are looking at it in a serious way right now.”
Football Australia CEO James Johnson is backing a bid for the 2034 FIFA mens world cup. Credit: Sunrise/AAP
Johnson said it is important to harness the current interest in women’s football now.
“We need to keep offering matches to watch and opportunity to play,” he said.
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“We change our focus now to the Socceroos, they will play in Mexico in September and then in England at Wembley in October.
“Our Matildas are back here in Perth in October, our community, if you miss the winter football season, the summer season is about to play.
“We have a lot in store in the coming months for Australian football at all levels.
“We have invested more money than we ever had in national team programs, what we have seen during the Women’s World Cup is an improvement in the performance of the Matildas, that is a direct relationship with investment.
“The main issue is not enough facilities across the country, the investment by the government is a good start, but we need to continue to build the community facilities, to build participation numbers.”
The FIFA Women’s World Cup garnered unprecedented interest and TV ratings, with more people tuning in to watch the heartbreaking FIFA Women’s World Cup loss to England than any other TV show in the modern ratings era.
It reached a staggering 11.15 million people nationally with an average audience of 7.13 million, making it the most watched TV program since the OzTAM measurement started in 2001.
The figure included 957,000 viewers on 7plus, smashing the record for the most streaming event ever in Australia.
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