Growing up, I never knew too much about soccer (or football, as I’ve finally started to call it). But how things change, because now I have this postcard pinned up in front of my desk! It’s from the Australian FIFA World Cup bid website: Australia is bidding to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup, and I really hope we get it!
Of course, this is a travel blog, so I’m about to tell you how this related to travel. First of all, I seem to have followed the World Cup. I was living in Japan when Japan and South Korea hosted it in 2002; I inadvertently spent finals week in Seoul, and watched the South Korea versus Germany semi-final in the centre of Seoul with some million other Koreans. When Germany hosted it in 2006, the Australian team stayed near where I was living and I really got involved. Unfortunately, I’m not going to be in South Africa next year, but I’ll definitely be watching the games on TV.
Championships like these really bring a lot of people together, and if you’re lucky enough to travel in a country hosting a tournament as big as the FIFA World Cup, you’ll have a very special experience. That’s why I’d love Australia to be the host sometime soon. With South Africa and Brazil hosting the 2010 and 2014 respectively, I can’t imagine that a third southern hemisphere destination would be picked for 2018, and that’s why I’m encouraging you to start planning your 2022 trip. Scarily, I’ll be in my mid-40s then, but I’m hoping I’ll still be blogging and I’ll be able to show you how my travels in Japan and Germany changed my mind about football.
Oh dear, I’m so disappointed that Qatar beat us to win the 2022 World Cup hosting role … 🙁