Now that the Philippines and two other nations (Japan, Indonesia) are hosting the 2023 FIBA World Cup, the Philippines Sports Commission is turning their focus to the biggest single-sport tournament on the planet, the FIFA World Cup.
In recent years joint bids have become popular with countries teaming up to host significant sporting events. The United States, Canada, and Mexico won the bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup and will share the match play across the three countries. The 2026 United World Cup will be the first time three countries have shared the duties of the tournament and the first time since 2002 that multiple countries shared the World Cup.
The Philippines are expected to be a part of a 10 Asean nation bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup. This is the first ten country bid for the FIFA World Cup in the history of the tournament. The ten countries expected to take part in the bid are Brunei, Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
This week top sports and government officials from the 10 ASEAN countries will meet to hammer out the details of their joint World Cup bid. Officials will meet in Pasay City, and deliberations are expected to last almost a week.
Officials from the ASEAN countries are expected to take on other subject matters, including revitalizing the Asean work plan, the establishment of the eSports SEA Foundation, and implement decisions from previous meetings.
Delegates from Unesco, FIFA, Searado, UN Women, ASEAN Chess Federation, Right to Play Thailand, Asean Football Federation, and the ASEAN Para Sports Federation are also expected to attend the meeting in Pasay City.
The FIFA World Cup has become the most wagered on sporting events in the world. If the ASEAN countries can win the bid for the 2034 World Cup, it will put a lot of eyes on the host countries. Betting on the World Cup has become so popular online that sportsbooks now offer World Cup bonuses for new account holders. In addition to the bonus offers there are also sports betting tournaments that users can play throughout the year.
Some critics argue that hosting a World Cup is not profitable for the host country, but others claim that hosting the World Cup has long-term economic impacts. One thing is for sure, it brings a lot of tourists to the area, and the world will be watching.
