Talk of New Zealand one day co-hosting the Football World Cup is great to hear, but there is no realistic way it would happen before 2050.
Martin Snedden's vision, as put forward in yesterday's Herald, would be a sporting utopia for this country. It's an admirable goal and typical of Duco chief executive Snedden, who has always embraced "stretch" goals and chosen to ask "why not?" instead of being intimidated by seemingly impossible odds.
But talk of this country being in the frame for the 2026 or 2030 tournaments is way off the mark; we need to measure any such possibilities in Interstellar-like time frames.
On the positive side, 35 years would give us plenty of time to sort out a stadium or two. Last time I checked, Fifa has yet to allow any World Cup game to be played in a cricket ground. For all its foibles, the Zurich-based organisation does put a premium on atmosphere and excitement and would insist on rectangular stadiums with a minimum of 40,000 capacity. That's a bit beyond us at the moment.
But back to the time frames. After Qatar hosts its air conditioned extravaganza in 2022, the next tournament is almost certain to be held in the United States. Fifa has great memories of the 1994 event, which remains the most profitable and well attended tournament it has run. It was huge last time, imagine how big it might be now, in a mature football market where the MLS is well established.