The successful bid to host World Cup 2026 in the United States, Canada and Mexico marked the first time football’s greatest show would be played across a continent, not in a country or two.
. “They’re getting bigger and the capacity requirements are well known. But we are certainly capable of hosting a group and a couple of knockout games, so the key for us is partnership.
“Given the limited stadium sizes in the rest of Oceania, we have to partner.”
The Athletic reported that a coalition with the United States could be the key to a successful 2028 bid for New Zealand, with Hawaii potentially at the forefront of a bid whose American leg could otherwise be primarily based on the West Coast.
“Fiji, meanwhile, is also currently exploring building a stadium,” according to The Athletic. Fiji’s long-running strategy includes the construction of a World Cup-ready stadium, while Hawaii’s stadium evolution plans are already in motion.
However the final bid takes shape, it appears that FIFA would need to have some uncharacteristic flexibility in terms of stadium capacities and travel expectations between games.
What do you think? Is a transpacific World Cup an elegant solution to a problem of football’s own making? Let us know…