Football: Plans to host world's best

The FIFA World Cup Trophy. Photo / Getty Images

New Zealand could host the Fifa Club World Cup or Women's World Cup if the ambitious plans of Ateed come to fruition.

With the Under-20 World Cup to kick off in May, the Auckland Council body are investigating the viability of future football tournaments.

It could mean the likes of European giants Real Madrid, Barcelona or Bayern Munich coming to New Zealand to play alongside the continental champions from five other confederations.

"The Club World Cup appeals on quite a few levels," said Ateed chief executive Brett O'Riley. "We need to look at any opportunity to showcase Auckland and you can't get a bigger global stage than football. There is also a huge connection to many of our major trading partners. And imagine Auckland City - or another team - getting a chance to play at home."

Ateed, who recently funded the NRL Nines, Volvo Ocean Race stopover and Fast 5 netball, are looking for big events beyond 2017 which will be highlighted by the Rugby League World Cup, World Masters Games and a Lions rugby tour.

"We are focusing on 2018, 2019 and into the 2020s and what we want to target," O'Riley said. "Football ticks a lot of boxes for us."

Auckland City FC chairman Ivan Vuksich, who has overseen his club's six campaigns at the Club World Cup, offers an informed perspective.

"It would be fantastic," said Vuksich. "[Auckland] could probably do it - between North Harbour Stadium and Mt Smart Stadium, maybe Eden Park. Training facilities would be a tough one - they need to be first-class - but it would be great for our city. Real Madrid had 200 people in their entourage in Morocco. In a week, that's 1400 [hotel] nights already."

The Club World Cup has been hosted by Japan, United Arab Emirates and Morocco since 2005. It's expected to go back to Japan for 2015 and 2016, with India a contender to host the two years beyond that.

It would be a fantastic addition to the sporting calendar but the costs involved would be a big challenge for the small New Zealand economy. A more realistic prospect might be the Women's World Cup, especially with the ongoing success of the Football Ferns. The event will be held in Canada this year and France or Korea in 2019.

"We are going to have a very good look at 2023," New Zealand Football chief executive Andy Martin said. "We were looking at 2019 but it was a bit too soon. However, our long-term goal is to go for the Women's World Cup and continue with the trajectory that football is on in this country."

From a Fifa point of view, the door is open - and a memorable under-20 tournament in May and June would only help the cause.

"Certainly New Zealand has proven they have very good organisation, otherwise there would not have been more tournaments awarded to this country," said Marion Mayer-Vorfelder, who is the Fifa head of the Club World Cup and the Under-20 World Cup. "For the women's event, the next chance will be 2023 and, hopefully, New Zealand will be interested. It means football [here] would have had a push and we welcome the interest, that's fantastic.

"[For either event] the first step is a bid. Get the respective people interested and we are very happy to receive a bid."