Canadian Soccer Association to bid for 2026 World Cup

[TOareaFan]

(Temporary) Cricket Stadiums are easy to build - the bigger question is who has enough fans from all the ICC World Cup countries to fill all the matches from the competing countries? Only one - same answer as happens with World Junior Hockey. The ICC knows that Canada is the only country in the world where it doesn't matter who is playing (due to number of resident ex-pats) that they will always get at least 30k people showing up no matter who is playing. The last ICC WC in India they had to truck in school children to get even some souls into the stands. Even if Canada wasn't competing in the final 8 it wouldn't matter - every ticket would be sold.

Really? I know lots of people from lots of traditional "cricket playing nations" and I don't know one person that would describe themselves as a cricket fan (as in their first sport of choice).

I will admit that I have no idea how many of these temporary venues we would need...or how many host cities we would need...but the claim that every match would have 30k in attendance raises a spokian eyebrow.

Maybe this needs its own thread for a fuller discussion but I would be starting off as a doubter.

 

[retailestate]

Really? I know lots of people from lots of traditional "cricket playing nations" and I don't know one person that would describe themselves as a cricket fan (as in their first sport of choice).

I will admit that I have no idea how many of these temporary venues we would need...or how many host cities we would need...but the claim that every match would have 30k in attendance raises a spokian eyebrow.

Maybe this needs its own thread for a fuller discussion but I would be starting off as a doubter.

@TOareaFan: Ask your friends from Cricket nations about cricket - they don't talk about it because its something they really have to work at to enjoy here. You'll be surprised - its the number 3 most watched sport in Canada (TV wise). Just about all of our migrants from commonwealth countries are Cricket fanatics - just have to ask.

 

[TOareaFan]

@TOareaFan: Ask your friends from Cricket nations about cricket - they don't talk about it because its something they really have to work at to enjoy here. You'll be surprised - its the number 3 most watched sport in Canada (TV wise). Just about all of our migrants from commonwealth countries are Cricket fanatics - just have to ask.

I have Indian and Pakastani friends who tell me they are casually interested, none of my English/British friends have the least bit of interest in cricket and my Aussie/NZ friends rank cricket pretty far down on their interest. I know there are other cricket nations and this is just one man's sample, but I really wonder when I read things like "it is the number 3 most watched sport in Canada (TV wise)"........where are the stats for that? So, what, is it Hockey #1, Baseball #2 and Cricket #3? Is that what we are expected to believe?

Like I said, I would love to hear more about this but it probably should be in another thread as it has nothing to do with a bid for 2026 WC of soccer/football.

 

[TOareaFan]

Canada's World Cup bid got a major boost today when the 31st person to enter Toronto's Mayoralty race made it part of her platform.

It is only a minor issue that Karen Stintz does not seem to have the foggiest idea on how world cups are bid on or how they are awarded. Rather than suggest she is going to work with the Canadian Soccer Association to support their bid, Ms Stintz is apparently going to work with Chicago and Detroit to have a two nation/3 city "Great Lakes" World Cup.

It is quite stunning, realy, with all the prep time leading up to today that any candidate can say something so blatantly wrong/stupid on the first day.

 

[GenerationW]

It is quite stunning, realy, with all the prep time leading up to today that any candidate can say something so blatantly wrong/stupid on the first day.

Stunning? I doubt too many people will notice, or that this has any chance of sinking her campaign.

 

[Johnny Au]

Canada's World Cup bid got a major boost today when the 31st person to enter Toronto's Mayoralty race made it part of her platform.

It is only a minor issue that Karen Stintz does not seem to have the foggiest idea on how world cups are bid on or how they are awarded. Rather than suggest she is going to work with the Canadian Soccer Association to support their bid, Ms Stintz is apparently going to work with Chicago and Detroit to have a two nation/3 city "Great Lakes" World Cup.

It is quite stunning, realy, with all the prep time leading up to today that any candidate can say something so blatantly wrong/stupid on the first day.

I would wonder how that can be pulled off. Note that FIFA is proposing a plan to expand the number of teams to 40 (suggested by the UEFA (Europe) as a way to have better representation from the AFC (Asia, excluding Israel, but including Australia) and CAF (Africa) without reducing the number of teams from the UEFA or the CONMEBOL (South America, excluding the Guyanas)), which would logically mean more stadia.

 

[TOareaFan]

I would wonder how that can be pulled off. Note that FIFA is proposing a plan to expand the number of teams to 40 (suggested by the UEFA (Europe) as a way to have better representation from the AFC (Asia, excluding Israel, but including Australia) and CAF (Africa) without reducing the number of teams from the UEFA or the CONMEBOL (South America, excluding the Guyanas)), which would logically mean more stadia.

It can't, that was the point. A politician making a promise of a 3 city bid for an event that currently needs 12 - 14 cities and is bid on nationally (not municipally) through the FIFA recognized national soccer governing body.

 

[TOareaFan]

Stunning? I doubt too many people will notice, or that this has any chance of sinking her campaign.

I do find it personally stunning. Not so much about the issue itself (like you said it has created little/no feedback/reaction) but that in prepping for that first day, when you have all the cameras focused on you that they could make such a stupid error.

She could have, for example, got the same "we are bringing the world cup to Toronto" impact by saying something along the lines of "we are going to work very closely with the CSA to ensure their bid, which will feature Toronto, is successful"....instead of saying "we are going to fabricate a process with 2 other cities in another country".

 

[JasonParis]

It can't, that was the point. A politician making a promise of a 3 city bid for an event that currently needs 12 - 14 cities and is bid on nationally (not municipally) through the FIFA recognized national soccer governing body.

I'm no expert here, but Japan-Korea had a successful joint World Cup in 2002, so I don't think FIFA is against bi-national bids. Of course, three cities in the Great Lakes does not appear to be enough though. Although, there may be a case to add Milwaukee, Green Bay, Cleveland, Montreal, Toledo, Buffalo, Hamilton, Rochester, maybe even Ottawa. Just saying that maybe it could work.

 

[TOareaFan]

I'm no expert here, but Japan-Korea had a successful joint World Cup in 2002, so I don't think FIFA is against bi-national bids. Of course, three cities in the Great Lakes does not appear to be enough though. Although, there may be a case to add Milwaukee, Green Bay, Cleveland, Montreal, Toledo, Buffalo, Hamilton, Rochester, maybe even Ottawa. Just saying that maybe it could work.

First off, yes FIFA has had one successful joint bid in the past. That said, they have at various times since said they do not favour them (they are not dissallowed but they are not favoured).

That said, the point is that NO city can bid on the World Cup....either on its own, or with other cities - either in or outside their country. Even countries can't bid. National soccer associations bid for world cups.....in the case of Canada that would likely need to be with federal government backing given the amount of infrastructure to be built (less so in the USA as it is a case of borrowing existing stadia). For a mayoralty candidate in any city to suggest that they can do this is what is shocking to me....simple research would have shown that nothing Karen Stintz says or does can change that.

We can debate the merits of a Canadian bid....we can even debate the merits of a joint USSF/CSA bid....what is beyond debate is any bid that any city says they can mount with or without other cities.

 

[nfitz]

I'd settle for a joint-Gold Cup bid ...

 

[intoronto1125]

@TOareaFan: Ask your friends from Cricket nations about cricket - they don't talk about it because its something they really have to work at to enjoy here. You'll be surprised - its the number 3 most watched sport in Canada (TV wise). Just about all of our migrants from commonwealth countries are Cricket fanatics - just have to ask.

That's most likely false. CFL, hockey and baseball etc.

Also FIFA is against co-host bids. In their bidding document they wrote something along the lines of: A singular bid will always be favoured over a co-host proposal".

So bidding individually is better.

 

[nfitz]

Also FIFA is against co-host bids. In their bidding document they wrote something along the lines of: A singular bid will always be favoured over a co-host proposal".

So bidding individually is better.

Surely the primary issue isn't whether or not it's a co-host, but how much money is used to bribe Sepp Blatter and his cronies. Russia paid $1.5 million per vote. How much is Stintz prepared to bribe?

 

[Johnny Au]

Surely the primary issue isn't whether or not it's a co-host, but how much money is used to bribe Sepp Blatter and his cronies. Russia paid $1.5 million per vote. How much is Stintz prepared to bribe?

That is how tiny Qatar was able to get the rights to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup. Qatar is on top of a giant petroleum reserve.

 

[raptor]

From Reddit, not sure how reliable this is: