China Sets Sights on 2026 FIFA World Cup

With the World Cup over, soccer fans have voids the size of soccer stadiums in their social calendars. But fear not – according to a post on Modern Lei Feng earlier this week, the Chinese Football Association has submitted a feasibility study and a bid proposal to China’s General Administration of Sport, with the aim of bidding to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Chinese soil.

If China does place a bid, the country will undoubtedly be a frontrunner in the quest to host the tournament. The PRC already has four soccer arenas with a capacity of more than 60,000 each, and proved capable of hosting large scale international events with the Beijing Olympics back in 2008. The nation also has efficient air and rail links between cities, so moving players between games won’t be problem.

Canada, Turkey, Colombia and India have also expressed interest in hosting the Cup in 2026.

Meanwhile, the US and Australia appear neck and neck in the bidding to host the 2022 tournament. A China bid for 2026 would improve the US’ chances for 2022, since Australia and China both lie in the Asian Football Confederation and FIFA cannot host two consecutive World Cups in the same confederation. Despite this, the Sydney Morning Herald reported on Wednesday that “Football Federation Australia said it was confident China's interest in hosting the 2026 tournament would not impact on its chances.”

There are also three other Asian nations in the running for 2022 – Qatar, South Korea and Japan. If any of these countries end up hosting, then China’s dreams of hosting in 2026 will be shattered.

The next World Cup in 2014 will take place in Brazil, while the hosts for 2018 and 2022 will be announced on December 2 this year.