If 2009 was a bad year for Miami soccer, 2010 is the antithesis.

So far things are going well- Miami still has a professional soccer side and on Tuesday the community got a huge boost after it was decided that the Magic City would be one of 18 venues that are part of the United States' World Cup bid for the 2018 or 2022 bids.

“By virtue of the quality of our cities and stadiums, it was very difficult to reduce the field to the maximum of 18 established by FIFA. We consider it a meaningful indicator of the significant growth of soccer in this country that we can put forth such a technically sound bid without four cities that served as hosts for the first FIFA World Cup in the United States in 1994. The emergence of passionate followings for the sport and state-of-the-art venues throughout the country has strengthened our ability to put together a truly national bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022.”- David Downs

The credit truly has to be given to everyone involved involved, especially the fans. They were the true champions of this campaign.

Ok, let's not get carried away. This is not the end of the road and there are still several obstacles- like getting the World Cup first and foremost.

With all of that in mind, it is the perfect building block to truly put the Magic City back on the map as a soccer town in the US and throughout the region.

World Cup bid venues

Atlanta, Georgia Dome, 70,868
Baltimore, M & T Bank Stadium, 71,008
Boston, Gillette Stadium, 73,393
Dallas, Cowboys Stadium 91,600
Dallas Cotton Bowl, 89,000
Denver, Invesco Field, 75,165
Houston, Reliant Stadium, 76,000
Indianapolis, Lucas Oil Stadium, 66,500
Kansas City, Arrowhead Stadium, 75,364
Los Angeles, Rose Bowl 89,000
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, 93,607
Miami, Land Shark Field, 80,240
Nashville, LP Field, 75,000
New York/New Jersey, New Meadowlands Stadium, 84,046
Philadelphia, Lincoln Financial Field, 69,111
Phoenix/Glendale, University of Phoenix Stadium, 71,362
San Diego, Qualcomm Stadium, 67,700
Seattle, Qwest Field 68,056
Seattle Husky Stadium, 72,500
Tampa, Raymond James Stadium, 75,000
Washington, D.C., FedEx Field, 89,690

Miami gets World Cup nod

The US World Cup bid committee announced on Monday that Academy Award-nominated director Spike Lee accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors for the Committee as they work to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States either in 2018 or 2022.

Lee is always seen sitting courtside at Madison Square Garden during New York Knicks home games. Lee also is an avid Gunners fan as well as Italian powerhouse Inter Milan.

“Spike Lee owns a distinct creative spirit and unbridled passion for sport and we’re privileged to be able to incorporate his voice into the development of our bid,” said Sunil Gulati, the Chairman of the USA Bid Committee and President of U.S. Soccer. “As a fan of soccer and a father of a youth level player, Spike will provide a unique and invaluable perspective to our board of directors.”

Sports provide a common thematic element in Spike Lee films and specifically baseball is consistently referenced in most of Lee’s pictures. In 1999’s Summer of Sam, Reggie Jackson and the New York Yankees were recurrent themes used to connect the plot of the story with the popular culture of the time. While Lee has not made any films about soccer, the beautiful game has influenced his film career stylistically. After seeing the biopic on France’s Zinedine Zidane, Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, Lee applied the film’s format of numerous cameras tracking an individual player on the football field to the basketball court for his ESPN documentary on Kobe Bryant, Kobe Doin’ Work.

“The sport of soccer has a global unifying aspect that allows it to break down social barriers and sets it among other universal languages such as music and the visual arts.” said Academy Award-nominated director Lee. “This unique quality is embedding the sport in the diverse American cultural landscape. I’m honored to be part of the USA Bid Committee and its efforts to bring the FIFA World Cup back to our country as we see the second half of our soccer history develop in front of our eyes.”

Lee was the producer, writer and director of Do The Right Thing in 1989, his breakthrough film that was nominated for two Academy Awards. The film was deemed culturally significant by the United States Library of Congress in 1999 and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry, one of five films to do so in its first year of eligibility. Lee’s production company, 40 Acres & A Mule Filmworks, has produced more than 35 films since 1983.

The United States, Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan and Russia have formally declared their desire to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022. Netherlands-Belgium and Portugal-Spain have each submitted joint bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, while Qatar and South Korea have applied as candidates to play host only to the tournament in 2022. Mexico withdrew its bid in September. Following that announcement, CONCACAF issued a public endorsement for the United States bid in November that pledged the full support of soccer’s governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean.

Spike Lee Joins US Bid Committee

Joe Uva, the Chief Executive Officer of Univision Communications, Inc., today accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors for the USA Bid Committee in its efforts to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 2018 or 2022.



Courtesy US Soccer

Univision is the leading Spanish-language media company in the U.S. Uva became Univision CEO on April 1, 2007, assuming overall responsibility for the company's suite of market-leading assets that include the Univision Network, which is one of the top five television networks in America regardless of language — and is also the No. 1 Spanish-language broadcast television network; TeleFutura, the second leading Spanish-language network in key day parts; KMEX, the No. 1 television station in the country regardless of language; Galavisión, the No. 1 Spanish-language cable network; Univision Radio, the No. 1 Spanish-language radio group and Univision Interactive Media, which includes the No. 1 U.S. Spanish-language Internet portal.

“In the U.S., Univision is ‘futbol’ for millions of viewers looking to feel the passion and energy that defines the sport,” said Uva. “Because of the growing influence and impact of the Hispanic population in this country, we know we will have a critical voice in helping the United States secure the opportunity to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022. I am personally honored to be able to support this bid on their behalf.”

Univision has been the exclusive Spanish-language broadcaster of the FIFA World Cup since 1978. Univision is also a major supporter of soccer in the U.S. through its broadcasts of the Men’s National Team and Major League Soccer, in addition to a wide range of top-tier global events in which the U.S. participates.

“The USA Bid Committee is grateful to have Joe Uva and Univision Communications supporting our bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022,” said David Downs, Executive Director of the USA Bid Committee. “Univision serves a crucial role in introducing millions of Spanish-speaking individuals to our country every year and soccer plays an especially important role in that process. The Hispanic population greatly contributes to the diversity of our country and that diversity is a key strength of our bid.”

“For our bid to be successful, we will need the support of key allies in the media to help us communicate the fundamental mission behind our bid,” said Sunil Gulati, the Chairman of the USA Bid Committee and President of U.S. Soccer. “Univision answers that call with a significant and growing base of viewers that has proven over the years to be passionate about soccer.”

Prior to joining Univision, Uva spent five years as the President and Chief Executive Officer of Omnicom’s OMD Worldwide, building the company into the No. 2-ranked media strategy and buying agency in the world with over 100 offices in over 80 countries. Uva also spent 17 years at Turner Broadcasting System, Inc. In 1996, he was named President of Sales and Marketing for Turner Entertainment Group.

Uva is a member of the board of directors of TiVo, Inc. (NASDAQ: TIVO). He also serves on several non-profit boards including the Ad Council and the International Radio & Television Society Foundation and is a member of the CEO Roundtable on Cancer.

The United States, Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and Russia have formally declared their desire to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022. Netherlands-Belgium and Portugal-Spain have each submitted joint bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, while Qatar and South Korea have applied as candidates to play host only to the tournament in 2022.

All candidates must have their bid applications to FIFA by May 14, 2010. FIFA’s 24 member Executive Committee will study the bids, conduct site visits and name the two hosts for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in December 2010, completing a 21-month bid and review process.

Uva joins the Board of Directors of the USA Bid Committee that recently welcomed New England Revolution and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, U.S. Soccer Foundation President Ed Foster-Simeon, University of Miami President Donna Shalala, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. National Team icons Landon Donovan and Mia Hamm, and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. In the months ahead, the USA Bid Committee will add additional national leaders from the sectors of sports, entertainment, government and business.

The USA Bid Committee’s efforts also recently earned the support of President Barack Obama, who has reached out to FIFA – the world's governing body of soccer – to endorse the efforts to bring the world’s largest sporting event back to the United States. In a letter to FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter and U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati, President Obama noted the role soccer played in his life as a youth, and its ability to unite people, communities and nations from every continent.

“Hosting another successful World Cup is important for the continued growth of the sport in the United States. And it is important to me personally,” President Obama wrote in his letter. “As a child, I played soccer on a dirt road in Jakarta, and the game brought the children of my neighborhood together. As a father, I saw that same spirit of unity alive on the fields and sidelines of my own daughters’ soccer games in Chicago.”

“Soccer is truly the world’s sport, and the World Cup promotes camaraderie and friendly competition across the globe,” President Obama added. “That is why this bid is about much more than a game. It is about the United States of America inviting the world to gather all across our great country in celebration of our common hopes and dreams.”

ABOUT U.S. SOCCER:
Founded in 1913, U.S. Soccer has helped chart the course for soccer in the USA for more than 95 years as the governing body of the sport. In this time, the Federation’s mission statement has been simple and clear: to make soccer, in all its forms, a pre-eminent sport in the United States and to continue the development of soccer at all recreational and competitive levels. To that end, the sport’s growth in the past two decades has been nothing short of remarkable as U.S. Soccer’s National Teams have continually succeeded on the world stage while also growing the game here in the United States with the support of its members. For more information, visit ussoccer.com.

ABOUT THE USA BID COMMITTEE INC.:
The USA Bid Committee is a non-profit organization created to prepare a successful application to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022 on behalf of the United States Soccer Federation. The Bid Committee will submit its comprehensive bid to FIFA by May 2010, with FIFA’s 24 member Executive Committee making a decision in December 2010. Members of the USA Bid Committee in alphabetical order include former Goldman Sachs Vice Chairman (Asia) Carlos Cordeiro, U.S. Men’s National Team player Landon Donovan, Executive Director David Downs, U.S. Soccer CEO and General Secretary Dan Flynn, U.S. Soccer Foundation President Ed Foster-Simeon, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, U.S. Soccer President and USA Bid Committee Chairman Sunil Gulati, U.S. Women’s National Team former player Mia Hamm, former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, New England Revolution and New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, former Democratic National Committee National Finance Chair Philip Murphy, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, University of Miami President Donna Shalala and Univision CEO Joe Uva.

Univision CEO Joins USSF Bid

NEW YORK (June 17, 2009) – University of Miami President Donna E. Shalala, renowned as an agent of reform during her tenure as U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) from 1993-2001, today accepted an invitation to join the Board of Directors for the USA Bid Committee in its endeavor to bring the FIFA World Cup to the United States in 2018 or 2022.

In her eighth year as President of the University of Miami, Shalala has more than 25 years of experience as an accomplished scholar, teacher and administrator. In June 2008, President George W. Bush presented her with the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation’s highest civilian award. Later that year, on July 17, Shalala was named the third and final Independent Director on U.S. Soccer's Board of Directors.

“I’m honored to be associated with U.S. Soccer and look forward to serving the USA Bid Committee and its efforts to bring the FIFA World Cup back to our country," said Shalala. "My work with U.S. Soccer over the years has made me a firm believer in the power of soccer to bring people together and act as a vehicle for social change."

The daughter of Lebanese immigrants, Shalala was the first Arab-American ever appointed to the U.S. Cabinet in her post as Secretary of Health and Human Services. During her time as HHS Secretary, Shalala directed the welfare reform process, made health insurance available to an estimated 3.3 million children through the approval of all State Children’s Health Insurance Programs (SCHIP), led major reforms of the FDA’s drug approval process and food safety system, raised child immunization rates to the highest levels in history, revitalized the National Institutes of Health and directed a major management and policy reform of Medicare.

Shalala also worked with the U.S. Women’s National Team on a successful public health campaign focused on anti-tobacco education.

“I am delighted that Donna Shalala has agreed to join our bid committee,” said Sunil Gulati, the Chairman of the USA Bid Committee and President of U.S. Soccer. “Her leadership and distinguished record of accomplishment in many areas -especially public service, health care and academia- will be valuable in our efforts to bring the World Cup back to the U.S.”

Shalala has held tenured professorships at Columbia University, the City University of New York (CUNY) and the University of Wisconsin-Madison. She served as President of Hunter College of the City University of New York from 1980 to 1987 and as Chancellor of the University of Wisconsin from 1987 to 1993. At the University of Wisconsin, Shalala successfully strengthened undergraduate education and the University’s research facilities. She also spearheaded the largest fundraising drive in Wisconsin’s history.

From 1977 to 1980, Shalala served in the Carter administration as Assistant Secretary for Public Development and Research at the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development. In 2007, President George W. Bush handpicked Shalala to co-chair with Senator Bob Dole the Commission on Care for Returning Wounded Warriors, to evaluate how wounded service members transition from active duty to civilian society.

Shalala has more than three dozen honorary degrees and a host of other honors, including the 1992 National Public Service Award and the 1994 Glamour magazine Woman of the Year Award. In 2005, she was named one of “America’s Best Leaders” by U.S. News & World Report and the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government. In 2008, she was honored as one of “25 Great Public Servants” by The Council for Excellence in Government which recognized outstanding public servants who have made significant contributions to achieving excellence in government over the past 25 years.

The United States is one of nine candidate nations that have formally declared their desire to host the FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022. The others are Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and Russia, with joint bids from Netherlands-Belgium and Portugal-Spain. Qatar and South Korea have applied only as candidates to play host to the tournament in 2022.

All candidates must have their bids to FIFA by May 14, 2010. FIFA’s 24 member Executive Committee will study the bids, conduct site visits and name the two hosts for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in December 2010, completing a 21-month bid and review process.

The USA Bid Committee has issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to officials from 37 U.S. cities that currently qualify as potential hosts for FIFA World Cup™ matches in 2018 or 2022. The RFPs request information covering subjects such as tourism, climate, security, transportation, promotion and more. The USA Bid Committee also released a short list of 45 candidate stadiums, including venues typically used for college and NFL football, domed and retractable roof facilities, and stadiums with capacities ranging from 45,000 to more than 100,000.

Shalala joins the Board of Directors of the USA Bid Committee that recently welcomed California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, U.S. National Team icons Landon Donovan and Mia Hamm, and former U.S. Secretary of State Henry A. Kissinger. In the months ahead, the USA Bid Committee will add additional leaders from sports, entertainment, government and business.

The USA Bid Committee’s efforts also recently earned the support of President Barack Obama, who has reached out to FIFA – the world's governing body of soccer – to endorse the efforts to bring the world’s largest sporting event back to the United States. In a letter to FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter and U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati, President Obama noted the role soccer played in his life as a youth, and its ability to unite people, communities and nations from every continent.

“Hosting another successful World Cup is important for the continued growth of the sport in the United States. And it is important to me personally,” President Obama wrote in his letter. “As a child, I played soccer on a dirt road in Jakarta, and the game brought the children of my neighborhood together. As a father, I saw that same spirit of unity alive on the fields and sidelines of my own daughters’ soccer games in Chicago.”

“Soccer is truly the world’s sport, and the World Cup promotes camaraderie and friendly competition across the globe,” President Obama added. “That is why this bid is about much more than a game. It is about the United States of America inviting the world to gather all across our great country in celebration of our common hopes and dreams.”

Thanks to US Soccer for this information.

UM Prez Joins US World Cup Bid

Courtesy of US Soccer

NEW YORK (June 16, 2009) – The USA Bid Committee today announced it has issued Requests for Proposals (RFPs) to officials representing 37 U.S. cities that currently qualify as potential host cities to FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022.

The RFPs issued on Monday request information from city officials covering a vast array of subjects such as tourism, climate, security, transportation, promotion and more. The RFPs are an important step in the United States’ application that is due to FIFA in May 2010. FIFA’s 24 member Executive Committee will study the bids, conduct site visits and name the two host nations for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in December 2010, completing a 21-month bid and review process.

The USA Bid Committee also released a short list of 45 stadiums associated with the 37 candidate host cities that represent a wide spectrum of facilities, including stadiums typically used for college and NFL football, domed and retractable roof stadiums, and venues with seating capacities ranging from 45,000-plus to more than 100,000. Forty-four of the 45 stadiums currently exist or are under construction, while one is in the planning stages. A list of the finalists can be found at the end of this news release.

The shortlist of venues comes as a result of an eight-week process where all 58 stadiums that had originally expressed their interest in being considered for the USA’s Bid, were asked to provide detailed information in a questionnaire that reflected strict FIFA requirements.

“Based on the stadium questionnaire 45 stadiums have been identified that we are confident will meet and exceed FIFA’s requirements for hosting FIFA World Cup matches,” said David Downs, the Executive Director of the USA Bid Committee. “In continuing with the selection process, we will now shift our focus to the cities and markets in connection to these venues. We want each city under consideration to have the best opportunity to present their case and, to that end, we are recommending that officials representing these cities, metro markets and stadiums form host city committees in the near future to help move our national bid forward at the local level.”

The 37 cities range in size from New York City, where the new Meadowlands Stadium will open in 2010 in nearby East Rutherford, N.J., to college town markets such as Fayetteville, Ark., and Knoxville, Tenn. California leads among U.S. states with five stadiums in consideration, followed by Texas and Florida with four stadiums each.

In the months ahead, the USA Bid Committee will work with these 37 cities/markets with the intention of announcing a final list of host cities/markets at the end of the year to be included in the Bid Book that will be delivered to FIFA in May 2010.

FIFA’s current criteria requires a candidate host nation to provide a minimum of 12 stadiums and a maximum of 18 capable of seating 40,000 or more spectators. Stadiums with a minimum capacity of 80,000 are required by FIFA for consideration to play host to the Opening Match and Final Match. The U.S. used stadiums in nine cities when it last played host to the FIFA World Cup in 1994.

The USA Bid Committee has added significant strength to its Board of Directors in recent weeks with the announcement of three new members – current U.S. Men’s National Team star Landon Donovan, U.S. National Women’s Team legend Mia Hamm and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger. Additional members will be added later this month and throughout the bid process.

The United States, Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and Russia have formally declared their desire to host to the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022. Netherlands-Belgium and Portugal-Spain have each submitted joint bids for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments, while Qatar and South Korea have applied as candidates to play host only to the tournament in 2022.

Passion for World Cup soccer is extremely strong in the United States, as evidenced by the demand for tickets for the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa. Of the 1.8 million ticket requests that have been received from more than 200 countries, approximately 93,000 have come from fans that live in the United States. Only host South Africa has had more ticket requests.

The USA Bid Committee’s efforts have earned the support of President Barack Obama, who has reached out to FIFA – the world's governing body of soccer – earlier this spring to endorse the efforts to bring the world’s largest sporting event back to the United States. In a letter to FIFA President Joseph “Sepp” Blatter and U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati, President Obama noted the role soccer played in his life as a youth, and its ability to unite people, communities and nations from every continent.

“Hosting another successful World Cup is important for the continued growth of the sport in the United States. And it is important to me personally,” President Obama wrote in his letter. “As a child, I played soccer on a dirt road in Jakarta, and the game brought the children of my neighborhood together. As a father, I saw that same spirit of unity alive on the fields and sidelines of my own daughters’ soccer games in Chicago.”

“Soccer is truly the world’s sport, and the World Cup promotes camaraderie and friendly competition across the globe,” President Obama added. “That is why this bid is about much more than a game. It is about the United States of America inviting the world to gather all across our great country in celebration of our common hopes and dreams.”

President Obama echoed those sentiments last month in an exclusive Univision interview conducted at the White House by renowned journalist Jorge Ramos. President Obama’s comments can be viewed at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZeCZOTFfOcA&feature=channel_page.

ABOUT U.S. SOCCER:
Founded in 1913, U.S. Soccer has helped chart the course for soccer in the USA for more than 95 years as the governing body of the sport. In this time, the Federation’s mission statement has been simple and clear: to make soccer, in all its forms, a pre-eminent sport in the United States and to continue the development of soccer at all recreational and competitive levels. To that end, the sport’s growth in the past two decades has been nothing short of remarkable as U.S. Soccer’s National Teams have continually succeeded on the world stage while also growing the game here in the United States with the support of its members. For more information, visit ussoccer.com.

ABOUT THE USA BID COMMITTEE INC.:
The USA Bid Committee is a non-profit organization created to prepare a successful application to host the FIFA World Cup™ in 2018 or 2022 on behalf of the United States Soccer Federation. The Bid Committee will submit its comprehensive bid to FIFA by May 2010, with FIFA’s 24 member Executive Committee making a decision in December 2010. Members of the USA Bid Committee in alphabetical order include former Goldman Sachs Vice Chairman (Asia) Carlos Cordeiro, U.S. Men’s National Team player Landon Donovan, Executive Director David Downs, U.S. Soccer CEO and General Secretary Dan Flynn, Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber, U.S. Soccer President and USA Bid Committee Chairman Sunil Gulati, U.S. Women’s National Team former player Mia Hamm, former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger, former Democratic National Committee National Finance Chair Philip Murphy and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Proposed stadiums, cities and metropolitan markets for further consideration

Metro Market / City	Stadium	Capacity
Atlanta	Georgia Dome	71,250
Baltimore	M & T Bank Stadium	71,008
Birmingham, Ala.	Legion Field	71,000
Boston	Gillette Stadium	71,693
Charlotte	Bank of America Stadium	73,778
Chicago	Soldier Field	61,000
Cincinnati	Paul Brown Stadium	65,535
Cleveland	Cleveland Browns Stadium	72,000
Columbus, Ohio	Ohio Stadium	101,568
Dallas	Cotton Bowl	89,000
Dallas	Cowboys Stadium	100,000
Denver	INVESCO Field	76,125
Detroit	Ford Field	67,188
Detroit	Michigan Stadium	108,000
Fayetteville, Ark.	Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium	72,000
Houston	Reliant Stadium	71,500
Indianapolis	Lucas Oil Stadium	64,200
Jacksonville, Fla.	Jacksonville Municipal Stadium	82,000
Kansas City	Arrowhead Stadium	77,000
Knoxville	Neyland Stadium	100,011
Las Vegas	Sports City USA	N/A
Los Angeles	Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum	93,607
Los Angeles	Rose Bowl	92,000+
Miami	Land Shark Stadium	75,540
Minneapolis	Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome	64,000
Minneapolis	TCF Bank Stadium	50,200
Nashville	LP Field	69,143
New Orleans	Louisiana Superdome	70,000
New York / New Jersey	New Meadowlands Stadium	82,000
Orlando	Florida Citrus Bowl	65,616
Philadelphia	Lincoln Financial	67,594
Phoenix / Glendale	Sun Devil Stadium	73,500
Phoenix / Glendale	University of Phoenix Stadium	71,000
Pittsburgh	Heinz Field	65,000
Salt Lake City	Rice-Eccles Stadium	45,603
San Antonio	Alamodome	65,000
San Diego	Qualcomm Stadium	70,500
San Francisco	Stanford Stadium	50,500
San Francisco / Oakland	Oakland-Alameda County Stadium	63,026
Seattle	Husky Stadium	72,500
Seattle	Qwest Field	67,000
St. Louis	Edward Jones Dome	67,268
Tampa	Raymond James Stadium	65,856
Washington, D.C.	FedEx Field	91,704
Washington, D.C.	RFK Stadium	45,600

US Puts Stadiums On Short List For 2018/2022 Bids

Who will hold the 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups? That will be decided in the next year or so as FIFA confirmed that 13 nations officially bid for the chance to host The Great Tournament. According to FIFA.com, Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain and Portugal, and the USA made bids for both '18 & '22. Korea Republic and Qatar have sent a bid the 2022 FIFA World Cup only.

Next step: The competing associations must complete and submit a FIFA Bidding Agreement by December 11th.

Who should host the 2018 World Cup?
( polls)

Who should host the 2022 World Cup?
( polls)

Official Bids For '18 & '22 World Cups Confirmed

The deadline for nations to bid on the 2018 & 2022 World Cup has passed and according to FIFA, 11 bids were submitted. In alphabetical order, they are Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands, England, Indonesia, Japan, Korea Republic, Mexico, Qatar, Russia, Spain and Portugal, and the United States. FIFA President Sepp Blatter said, "It is remarkable that so many high-quality contenders have expressed an initial interest in hosting our flagship competition."

The next step, FIFA will send out a Bid Registration form on February 16th to the member associations that formally submitted a bid for the 2018 & 2022 World Cups. The timeline for bidding is laid out in this FIFA document. Now the bidding nations have to get everything in order to impress FIFA.

Early buzz has England & the United States as the favorites to get the World Cups. Sepp Blatter's recent declaration that single nation bids will get consideration over joint bids puts a big dent in Spain/Portugal & Belgium/Netherlands hopes at landing a World Cup. The decision on who gets the 2018 & 2022 World Cups will be made in 2010 but to further shape your opinion on the most intriguing candidates check out Part I & II of our analysis.

FIFA's Official Bids For '18 & '22 World Cups

Let's begin Part II of our analysis of bidders for the 2018 and 2022 World Cup with a surprise entrant whose deep pockets could sneak in and win the right to host a World Cup.

QATAR

The oil-rich nation with plentiful natural gas reserves would become the 1st Arab nation to host a World Cup. According to the CIA World Factbook, Qatar has the highest per capita income in the world so the money to build new stadiums and renovate current stadiums to FIFA standards is there. In the capital of Doha, there is a revolutionary underground stadium scheduled to be complete in 2010. The plans are the coolest for a stadium ever seen, imagine WC Matches played there. WOW!. The question is will they have enough clout in FIFA to win the vote?

Outlook: A longshot but undoubtedly the most intriguing of the bidding nations. 2022 is their best bet.

RUSSIA

The world's largest country placed its bid knowing that the sheer size of the country presents big infrastructure problems. Russia is much like England in that Moscow has a ton of stadiums like London does. Russia's stadiums would need upgrade and organizers would have to keep the matches west of the Ural Mountains to avoid Siberia & the time zones. Earlier talk of the English FA backing Russia's Euro 2016 in exchange for Russia dropping its 2018 WC bid is dead.

Outlook: Worthy of consideration but won't get 2018 or 2022.

Bids from Asia & Europe have been made and now let's take a look at the 2 CONCACAF nations that could host the tournament.

MEXICO

History could be on the side of Mexico when it comes to their bid at becoming the only nation to host 3 World Cups. 1970 WC was Pele's last and 1986 WC was the Maradona Show, that might not mean as much as the new stadiums being built by Mexican league teams. Chivas, Monterrey, Santos, Cruz Azul are among the clubs building new stadiums. 1994 was the last time a CONCACAF nation hosted a World Cup, 2018 may be the year to bring it back.

Outlook: Major contender, #2 contender of nations outside of Europe. Previous magical World Cups favor Mexico.

UNITED STATES

The host of the 1994 World Cup has been the land of booming stadiums since Brazil defeated Italy on PKs in the final. It seems like every team in a major sport in the States has a new stadium or arena. There are no real weaknesses other than not having much clout amongst the FIFA Executive Committee. Suggestion: Play the final at FedEx Field its the largest stadium in the NFL (90K+ capacity), its close to D.C. (the U.S. capital), and the Rose Bowl is played out as the centerpiece stadium of sports in the U.S. Also, the new Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

Outlook: Fierce contender, #1 contender of nations outside of Europe, slight edge over Mexico because of the quality of the infrastructure and the stadiums.

Well there it is. Let's us know what you think about the nations mentioned and if you can think of any other nations worthy of consideration. We are aware that China & Japan are in the mix so let's see what happens with their bids. Despite their history, a China/Japan joint bid would be interesting. Tell us what you think.

2018 World Cup Bids - Part II

Over the past few weeks, numerous nations have bid for the rights to host the 2018 & 2002 FIFA World Cup. Since the 2018 World Cup is closer most of the news about host nation bids concerns the 2018 tournament. With 2010 in South Africa and 2014 in Brazil, nations from UEFA, CONCACAF, Asia can bid for the 2018 tournament so the decision on the host nation for 2022 tournament will be impacted by the winning bidder for the 2018 tournament.

Officially, there have been 6 confirmed bids with a bid from CONCACAF nations coming soon. Those nations interested in hosting the '18 & '22 tournaments have until February 2nd to submit an official bid. In Part I, we will look at 4 of the official bids and give an outlook on their chances of winning the right to host The Great Tournament.

AUSTRALIA



The Land Down Under has successfully hosted 2 Olympic Games, 1956 Melbourne & 2000 Sydney as well as 2 FIFA U-20s World Cups in 1993 & 1981 and 2003 Rugby World Cup. Aussies are not strangers to hosting big events and with the Australian A-League in full effect, the stadiums should be up to FIFA standards with infrastructure being a non issue.

Outlook: FIFA President, Sepp Blatter recently suggested that Australia concentrate on 2022 because the 2010 & 2014 World Cups would be in the Southern Hemisphere so Australia might be the front runner in 2022.

BELGIUM & NETHERLANDS

&

The bid of Belgium & Netherlands is one of the two joint bids submitted to FIFA. The two main entities of the Benelux countries may be too small to host the World Cup. Right now, between Belgium & The Netherlands there aren't 12 stadiums with a minimum capacity of 40,000 and 1 stadium of a capacity of 80,000 as per FIFA standards for hosting a World Cup, although Belgian officials have plans to upgrade stadiums to meet the requirements.

Outlook: A miracle if they get '18 or '22. Especially with a European joint bid like Spain & Portugal out there.

ENGLAND



The hosts & winners of the 1966 World Cup have the passion to pull off a great World Cup. Stadiums won't be a problem especially since the Stanley Park project for Liverpool will probably be complete by then. If there is a problem in securing England's bid it may internal politics between the hierarchy of the FA & the hierarchy of the Premier League. They will have to grill whatever beef they have and come together to win over the 24 member FIFA Executive Committee.

Outlook: Easily a serious candidate, Spain/Portugal bid is their biggest competition.

PORTUGAL & SPAIN

&

The Iberian peninsula threw their marbles in the circle with a joint bid for the 2018 World Cup. The Japan/Korea World Cup of 2002 proved that dual hosts can work. Spain & Portugal have 8 of UEFA's 5-star stadiums (3 in Portgual, 5 in Spain). Spain hosted the 1982 World Cup and Portugal hosted the Euro 2004. Talk is that Latin American members of FIFA's Executive Committee would vote for Spain/Portugal because of the cultural & language similarities.

Outlook: Shocked if they don't get 2018 Tournament. Everything is set up well for a smooth tournament.

Part II is coming to analyze the last two known official bids and a couple of expected bids from CONCACAF that will make FIFA's decision much tougher.

2018 World Cup Bids - Part I