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World Cup in Oz a game-changer: FFA boss

3 minute read

A Women's World Cup in Australia would change the nation's sporting landscape, according to FFA chief executive James Johnson.

FFA boss James Johnson says hosting the Women's World Cup in 2023 would be a game-changer for Australian sport.

FIFA, world football's governing body, is scheduled to announce who will host the tournament next month with Australia putting in a joint bid with New Zealand.

South American nations Brazil and Colombia, as well as Asian women's football powerhouse Japan, are the other countries in the running.

Johnson says sport in Australia will never be the same if FFA's hosting bid is successful.

"I think it would change the entire sporting landscape of Australia," Johnson told ABC's News Breakfast.

"It would extend beyond football.

"We would have more than one billion people from all over the world who will be watching women's football played on our shores.

"You're going to see the impact, not just in Australia as well, I would say also in the Asia-Pacific region because this will be the first time we've had a major football senior event that would be played in the Asia-Pacific region."

The FIFA council will conduct an online meeting on June 25 to vote on the bids, with technical evaluation reports set to be published earlier in the month.

Johnson said he was confident the way the Australian and New Zealand governments had handled the COVID-19 crisis would prove beneficial when the bids are assessed.

"Our governments have done a fantastic job handling the pandemic," he said.

"We have had to work as football governing bodies very closely with our governments and FIFA have noticed that and I think they will see us as a safe pair of hands."

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