FIFA released bid evaluations on the nine countries vying for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups this morning. In addition to information on stadiums and projected number of tickets available, each report assessed the bidding nations on their ability to host an event the scale of the World Cup and assigned a risk level; the previously reported US summary put FIFA's risk at "medium." Below are the reports for each of the nations competing with the US for the 2022 tournament, plus a chart with key information on all bids.
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USA:
Executive Summary
The USA bid’s hosting concept and legacy programme highlights the importance of the FIFA World Cup™ as a key step in the further development of the USA as a football nation. The bid offers flexibility in terms of city infrastructure, stadiums and facilities, all of which provide a broad platform for staging the event. The bid is supported by the national and local football authorities, the local city governments (by virtue of duly executed Host City Agreements) and the stadium authorities (by virtue of duly executed Stadium Agreements).
The bid proposes 18 Host Cities and 18 stadiums, thus exceeding FIFA’s requirement. All 18 stadiums are built with no further renovation indicated. Nevertheless, since most stadiums are American football venues, the Bidder plans to remove seats in the corners and adapt the existing structure to meet the FIFA World Cup™ pitch size requirements.
In terms of football development, the Bidder suggests a range of domestic and international activities that could be funded by the success of the FIFA World Cup™ in the USA. United States (US) football is respected worldwide and its teams have recorded various successes at club and international level. The USA has considerable experience in hosting large-scale national and international sporting events in the last 20 years. It held the 1996 Summer Olympic Games, the 2002 Winter Olympic Games, the 1994 FIFA World Cup™ and the FIFA Women’s World Cups™ in 1999 and 2003.
The Bidder has contracted the required number of venue-specific team hotels (VSTH) but has not contracted the required number of venue- specific training sites (VSTS). It has contracted the required number of team base camp (TBC) hotels but has not contracted the required number of TBC training sites. FIFA’s team facility requirements could potentially be met, however a complete inventory of contracted team facilities is required.
In terms of accommodation, 170,000 rooms have already been contracted, thus exceeding FIFA’s minimum requirement of 60,000. The accommodation plan is based on a wide- ranging and plentiful supply of good-quality rooms at fair, contractually agreed conditions.
As for the FIFA headquarters, it is proposed to have separate FIFA headquarters for the first and second stages of the competition. Additional details are required in order to assess the proposals. The rate for a standard room in the proposed first-stage hotel is high and should be reviewed.
In general, the candidate Host Cities have a well-developed transport infrastructure and experience in managing traffic and crowd flows for events and sports contests. However, the country’s vastness and geographic location imply a dependence on air travel in view of the lack of alternative means of long-distance transport within the country. Nevertheless, the capacity of the airports and the competitiveness of the aviation market in the USA would assure reliable air transfer. Temporary transport would have to be arranged to and from the majority of the proposed stadiums during the event.
The country has a strong information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, and it appears as though FIFA’s requirements would be met.
International standards for major event safety and security and for health and medical services are likely to be met.
The Bidder has submitted its concepts for sustainable social and human development and environmental protection initiatives.
The proposals submitted by the Bidder for the competition-related events would generally fulfill FIFA’s requirements.
Marketing, media and communication matters have also been addressed. The information provided suggests that the USA is the number one market for sports sponsorship in the world and that it also has a growing market for football sponsorship. However, as the required guarantees, undertakings and confirmations are not given as part of Government Guarantee No. 6 (Protection and Exploitation of Commercial Rights) and mere reference is made to existing general intellectual property laws in the USA, FIFA’s rights protection programme cannot be ensured. In terms of TV, should the FIFA World Cup™ be hosted in the USA, the TV ratings and media rights income in the Americas are likely to be higher.
The Bidder has submitted an expenditure budget of USD 661.2 million (current) for a FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup™ in 2021 and 2022. The budget has been submitted in the format required with supporting information. A projection of approximately 4,957,000 sellable tickets has been made.
If the USA is awarded the hosting rights, FIFA's legal risk appears to be medium. Whilst the necessary government support has not been documented as neither the Government Guarantees, the Government Declaration nor the Government Legal Statement have been provided in compliance with FIFA's requirements for government documents, the US Government has considerable experience in supporting the hosting and staging of major sports events and has proven its willingness to make material concessions, accommodate the concerns of event organisers, and has expressed its intention to enact the necessary legislation by 1 June 2013. Furthermore, the requirements for contractual documents have been met.
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Australia:
Executive Summary
The Australia bid’s hosting concept highlights the opportunity for FIFA to bring the FIFA World Cup™ to Australia and the Oceania region for the first time. The bid is supported by the national and local football authorities, the local city governments (by virtue of duly executed Host City Agreements), the stadium authorities (by virtue of duly executed Stadium Agreements) and the national government (by virtue of duly executed Government Guarantees).
The bid proposes ten Host Cities and 12 stadiums, thus meeting FIFA’s minimum requirement. Nine of the 12 stadiums already exist and would be renovated, and three would be built. A stadium construction and renovation budget of approximately USD 2.29 billion has been projected.
In terms of football development, the bid’s proposals would make a contribution towards establishing football as one of the top sports in Australia and Oceania. Australian football is gaining respect worldwide, and its teams have recently recorded various successes at club and international level. Australia has experience of hosting major international sports events in the last 20 years, having hosted the 2000 Summer Olympic Games in Sydney and the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
The Bidder has contracted the required number of venue-specific training sites (VSTs) but has not contracted the required number of venue-specific team hotels (VSTHs). It has contracted the required number of TBCs training sites but has not contracted the required number of TBC hotels. Otherwise, FIFA’s requirements for team facilities are likely to be met.
In terms of accommodation, 43,000 rooms have already been contracted, thus falling short of FIFA’s minimum requirement of 60,000. That said, Australia would have sufficient good-quality hotel capacity to host the competition and accommodate the majority of FIFA’s constituent groups under fair and contractually guaranteed conditions. As for the FIFA headquarters, it appears that the proposals fulfill FIFA’s requirements. Australia has a well-developed transport infrastructure and considerable experience in managing the traffic and crowd flows generated by sports events. However, the country’s vastness and geographic location imply a dependence on air travel, potentially causing domestic and international transfer challenges in view of the lack of alternative means of long-distance transport within the country.
The country has a strong information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, and it appears that FIFA’s requirements would be met.
International standards for major event safety and security and for health and medical services are likely to be met.
The Bidder has submitted its concepts for sustainable social and human development and environmental protection initiatives. The Bidder has also submitted its proposals for the competition-related event venues. Marketing, media and communication matters have also been addressed. The information provided in the Bid Book suggests that Australia has an established market for major event sponsorship and a developing market for football sponsorship. The existing regulations in Australia which adversely affect the free and unrestricted exploitation of media rights need to be suspended in accordance with the undertakings given in Government Guarantee No. 6 (Protection and Exploitation of Commercial Rights). Should the FIFA World Cup™ be hosted in Australia, there is a risk of a reduction in TV income and, as a result, commercial revenue from Europe and the Americas. The income from Asia/Oceania would need to be increased substantially to offset the likelihood of loss of revenue in Europe.
The Bidder has submitted an expenditure budget of USD 535.2 million (current) for a FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup™ in 2021 and 2022. The budget has been submitted in the format required with highly detailed supporting information. A projection of approximately 3,020,000 sellable tickets has been made.
If Australia is awarded the hosting rights, FIFA’s legal risk appears to be low. All contractual document requirements have been met and the necessary government support has been secured. The Government Guarantees and the Government Declaration have been provided in compliance with FIFA's requirements, but remain subject to additional legislative steps which the government has undertaken to conduct within the required deadline subject to parliamentary sovereignty. However, the Australian Government has experience in supporting the hosting and staging of major sports events and has proven its willingness to make material concessions and accommodate the concerns of event organisers.
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Japan:
Executive Summary
The Japan bid’s hosting concept consists of five main aspects: new football content utilising audio, video and information technologies; a new high-technology stadium experience; global fan fests; innovative internet business; and educational activities. The bid is supported by the national and local football authorities, the local city governments (by virtue of duly executed Host City Agreements) and the stadium authorities (by virtue of duly executed Stadium Agreements).
The bid proposes 11 Host Cities and 13 stadiums, thus exceeding FIFA’s minimum requirement of 12 stadiums. Of the 13 stadiums proposed, 12 already exist and would be renovated, and one would be newly built. A stadium construction and renovation budget of USD 700-1,300 million has been projected. Eight stadiums fulfilled FIFA’s previous requirements, as confirmed by their use for the 2002 FIFA World Cup™. However, if Japan is awarded the hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, specific attention would have to be given to the fulfillment of future FIFA World Cup™ space and quality requirements.
In terms of football development, the bid seeks to build on existing activities in Japan and Asia, and plans to leverage and commercialise several elements of its hosting concept, e.g. global fan fests and internet business, to generate revenue for further development activities. The Japan Football Association (JFA) and the J-League are highly respected worldwide, and its teams have recorded various successes at club and international level. Japan has experience in hosting international football events in the last 20 years, having co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2001 and hosted several FIFA Club World Cups successfully.
The Bidder has contracted the required number of venue-specific team hotels (VSTH) but has not contracted the required number of venue-specific training sites (VSTS). It has contracted the required number of team base camp (TBC) hotels and training sites. The Bidder appears to understand the requirements well, but there is a limited supply of contracted and suitable facilities in some locations.
In terms of accommodation, 96,000 rooms have already been contracted, thus exceeding FIFA’s minimum requirement of 60,000. Overall, the bid offers a wide-ranging and plentiful supply of rooms under fair, contractually agreed conditions. As for the FIFA headquarters, the total number of contracted rooms in the proposed hotels does not meet the requirement of 700 rooms. Additional information is required about the office space concept.
Japan has an excellent transport infrastructure, comprising numerous international and national airports and extensive road and rail networks. However, traffic-reduction measures are essential to increase capacity and facilitate event transport operations during peak times.
Likewise, the country has a strong information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, and it appears as though FIFA’s requirements would be met.
International standards for major event safety and security and for health and medical services are likely to be met. However, the implementation of the safety and security concept is not fully ensured as not all of the conditions of Government Guarantee No. 4 (Safety and Security) have been met.
The Bidder has submitted its concepts for sustainable social and human development and environmental protection initiatives.
The Bidder has also submitted suitable proposals for the competition-related events.
Marketing, media and communication matters have been addressed. The information provided in the Bid Book suggests that the major event and football sponsorship market in Japan is well established and developed. However, as the required guarantees, undertakings and confirmations were not given as part of Government Guarantee No. 6 (Protection and Exploitation of Commercial Rights), FIFA’s overall commercial programme cannot be ensured. Should the FIFA World Cup™ be hosted in Japan, there is a risk of a reduction in TV income and, as a result, commercial revenue from Europe. The income from Asia/Oceania would need to be increased substantially to offset the likelihood of loss of revenue in Europe.
The Bidder has submitted an expenditure budget of USD 843.4 million (current) for a FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup™ in 2021 and 2022. The budget has been submitted in the format required without supporting information. A projection of approximately 3,280,000 sellable tickets has been made.
If Japan is awarded the hosting rights, FIFA's legal risk appears to be medium. Whilst the necessary government support has not been secured as neither the Government Guarantees nor the Government Declaration have been provided in compliance with FIFA's requirements for government documents, the Japanese Government has experience in supporting the hosting and staging of a major sports event and has proven its willingness to make material concessions, accommodate the concerns of event organisers, and has expressed its intention to enact the necessary Government Guarantees and legislation (without accepting a deadline). Furthermore, the requirements for contractual documents have been met.
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Korea Republic:
Executive Summary
The Korea Republic bid’s hosting concept presents the idea of holding some matches of the 2022 FIFA World Cup™ in Korea DPR. The bid is supported by the national and local football authorities, the local city governments (by virtue of duly executed Host City Agreements), the stadium authorities (by virtue of duly executed Stadium Agreements) and the national government (by virtue of duly executed Government Guarantees).
The bid proposes 12 Host Cities and 4 stadiums, thus exceeding FIFA’s minimum requirement. Of the 14 stadiums proposed, 13 already exist and would be renovated, and one would be built for the 2014 Asian Games.
A stadium construction and renovation budget of USD 877 million has been projected. Ten stadiums fulfilled FIFA’s previous requirements, as confirmed by their use for the 2002 FIFA World Cup™. However, if Korea Republic is awarded the hosting rights for the 2022 FIFA World Cup™, specific attention would have to be given to the fulfillment of future FIFA World Cup™ space and quality requirements.
In terms of football development, Korea Republic plans to concentrate mainly on national development and specific activities in Asia. Korea Republic football is respected worldwide and its teams have recorded various successes at club and international level.
The country also has experience in hosting international football events in the last 20 years, having co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup™ and the FIFA Confederations Cup 2001, and having hosted the FIFA U-17 World Cup 2007. Korea Republic will also host the 2014 Asian Games, which will give it further experience of organising large-scale, international sports events.
The Bidder has contracted the required number of venue-specific training sites (VSTS) and the required number of venue-specific team hotels (VSTH). It has contracted the required number of team base camp (TBC) training sites but has not contracted the required number of TBC hotels. Upgrades to many training sites may be required to ensure FIFA World Cup™ standards. In terms of accommodation, 87,000 rooms have already been contracted, thus exceeding FIFA’s minimum requirement of 60,000. However, the majority of FIFA’s constituent target groups would be accommodated in two or three-star quality standard rooms. The Bidder has submitted a suitable proposal for the FIFA headquarters.
Korea Republic has plans to enhance its well-developed transport infrastructure. The proposed traffic-reduction measures are essential to increase capacity and facilitate event transport operations during peak times. The country has a strong information and communications technology (ICT) infrastructure, and it appears as though FIFA’s requirements would be met.
International standards for major event safety and security and for health and medical services are likely to be met.
The Bidder has submitted its concepts for sustainable social and human development and environmental protection initiatives.
The Bidder has also submitted its proposals for the competition-related event venues, although these require some adjustments.
Marketing, media and communication matters have also been addressed. The information provided in the Bid Book suggests that the major event and football sponsorship market in Korea Republic is well developed. In terms of TV, the current broadcasting law, which adversely affects the free and unrestricted exploitation of media rights, needs to be suspended in accordance with the undertakings given in Government Guarantee No. 6 (Protection and Exploitation of Commercial Rights).
Should the FIFA World Cup™ be hosted in Korea Republic, there is a risk of a reduction in TV income from Europe. The income from Asia/Oceania would need to be increased substantially to offset the likelihood of loss of revenue in Europe.
The Bidder has submitted an expenditure budget of USD 496.6 million (current) for a FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup™ in 2021 and 2022. The budget has been submitted in the format required with limited supporting information. A projection of approximately 3,000,000 sellable tickets has been made.
If Korea Republic is awarded the hosting rights, FIFA's legal risk appears to be low. All requirements for contractual documents have been met and the necessary government support has been secured. Furthermore, the Korean Government has experience in supporting the hosting and staging of a major sports event and has proven its willingness to make material concessions and accommodate the concerns of event organisers.
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Qatar:
Executive Summary
The Qatar bid’s hosting concept, which is in line with Qatar’s national development strategy, presents a novel approach to event operations and legacy. The Qatar bid envisions a concentration of almost all key event facilities and venues in a relatively compact area within a radius of 60 kilometres. In terms of legacy, there is a strong commitment to having a carbon-neutral FIFA World Cup™, especially through utilisation of environmentally friendly cooling technologies. After the event, modular sections from the stadiums are planned to be used to construct 22 stadiums around the world in developing countries. The opportunity for FIFA to bring the FIFA World Cup™ to the Middle East for the first time is also highlighted.
The bid is supported by the national and local football authorities, the local city governments (by virtue of duly executed Host City Agreements), the stadium authorities (by virtue well as the domestic initiatives are important. Qatari football is still developing and its youth teams have recorded some successes at international level. In terms of experience in hosting international sports events in the last 20 years, Qatar has already hosted the 1995 FIFA U-20 World Cup as well as the 2006 Asian Games. In January 2011, the country will host the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.
The relatively short distances between all facilities related to teams, such as stadiums and team base camps, suggest that the traditional venue-specific team hotel (VSTH) and venue- specific training site (VSTS) approach may not be needed. The bid proposes both this traditional approach as well as an innovative team base camp (TBC) village approach which relies on several critical assumptions for success: the positive reception of the TBC village concept by teams, the effectiveness and acceptance of cooling systems for all training sites, and high-quality grass growth under proposed sun shades. Furthermore, many of the proposed team facilities have still to be constructed.
While all of the proposed team facilities are contracted, a number of points require further consideration and need to be addressed on a revised contractual basis. The proposed TBC village concept may change the approach to the FIFA World Cup™ as a nationwide event.
In terms of accommodation, over 84,000 rooms have already been contracted, thus exceeding FIFA’s minimum requirement of 60,000. That said, the accommodation plan heavily depends not only on the capacities of two candidate Host Cities but also on significant construction. The final number of accomplished projects would determine the number of supporters who could be accommodated. Furthermore, the concentration of the majority of rooms in just a few properties could lead to the risk that the exclusivity of certain constituent groups could not be ensured. As for the FIFA headquarters, the proposal appears to meet all of FIFA’s requirements.
The transport plan, in line with the hosting concept, differs from transport models of past FIFA World Cups™ due to the fact that all key venues are situated in close proximity to one another. Significant development is planned for both the New Doha International Airport and the general transport infrastructure. Nevertheless the fact that ten out of the 12 stadiums are located within a 25-30km radius could represent an operational and logistical challenge. Any delay in the completion of the transport projects could impact FIFA’s tournament operations. Moreover, it appears to be difficult to test a transport concept prior to the event under conditions comparable to the FIFA World Cup™. The fact that New Doha International Airport would be the primary air gateway for the entire tournament period also requires careful consideration.
Based on the information in the Bid Book, it appears as though FIFA’s information and communications technology (ICT) requirements would be met.
In terms of safety and security, the Qatar bid considers its compact hosting concept as advantageous. A concept would have to be established to enable adequate testing of the proposed security model prior to the event under conditions comparable to the FIFA World Cup™. International standards for health and medical services are likely to be met. However, the fact that the competition is planned in June/July, the two hottest months of the year in this region, has to be considered as a potential health risk for players, officials, the FIFA family and spectators, and requires precautions to be taken.
The Bidder has submitted its concepts for sustainable social and human development and environmental protection initiatives.
The Bidder has also submitted a suitable proposal for a single competition-related event venue, the Doha Convention Centre, which is under construction.
A detailed concept remains to be developed in order to address how all event operations for the hosting of 64 matches as well as event-related services such as transport and accommodation would be ensured in terms of sourcing, recruitment and logistical support of sufficiently qualified staff.
Marketing, media and communication matters have also been addressed. The information provided in the Bid Book suggests that the major event and football sponsorship market in Qatar has potential for growth. Because Qatar has a time zone of UTC+3, there is unlikely to be a negative impact on TV ratings in Europe and the European media rights income should the FIFA World Cup™ be hosted in Qatar.
The Bidder has submitted an expenditure budget of USD 645.5 million (current) for a FIFA Confederations Cup and FIFA World Cup™ in 2021 and 2022. The budget has been submitted in the format required with supporting information. A projection of approximately 2,869,000 sellable tickets has been made. However, the forecast merits review due to the impact of the construction schedule and modular seating on ticketing operations.
The Bidder’s plan implies a new operational model for all stakeholder groups and in doing so raises certain questions, especially in terms of logistics and security. The realisation of the plan depends on centralised decision- making and is largely based on construction of projected general and event infrastructure, which represents a risk by restricting FIFA’s contingency planning.
If Qatar is awarded the hosting rights, FIFA's legal risk appears to be low. All requirements for contractual documents have been met, but additional specific undertakings and securities are necessary given the special situation in, and the special hosting concept of, Qatar. The necessary government support has been secured.
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Click here (pdf) to see all of the evaluation reports, including those of the 2018 bidders.
-JD
