Selecting the host nation of the FIFA World Cup is not an easy task, it takes a lot of careful consideration and deliberation before deciding which nation will host the prestigious sporting event.
Hosting the World Cup can definitely provide the host nation with national pride and can help boost the tourism sector of the country. The nation can enjoy economic progress via tourism, logistics, and broadcasting benefits
These are the reasons why the competition to host the event is fierce, however there are many things that need to be considered before a nation will be granted hosting privileges. Some of these involve the financial capability to build infrastructures required for the event and other aspects of preparations.
Background
Since the inauguration of the FIFA World Cup in 1930, seventeen countries have hosted the event in it’s twenty-one editions.
FIFA, the governing body of the football federations around the world, typically holds a congress that selects the host country of the tournament.
The earliest editions of the World Cup have met with controversy over the choice of location because of the ease of transportation between the continents of Europe and South America. Both regions were considered as the two hubs of football activities at that time.
The 2002 FIFA World Cup is the first time the tournament was held in Asia, the hosting duties were divided between the nations of Japan and South Korea.
Bidding
The selection of the host country for the World Cup undergoes certain processes, the first one is the pre-bidding stage.
Before the bidding process begins, a show of interest is being done prior to the beginning of the bidding stage. Each country who wishes to host the event will present their eligibility to be granted the hosting privileges.
For the bidding process each nation must provide the following
- An official bid registration
- A creation of authorized bid committee
- Presentation of an official application dossier, this also includes a contract agreement of hosting the tournament.
- Access to FIFA representatives that are tasked with inspecting the facilities for the event.
After the bidding process is completed, the winning bids for each edition will be announced.
Voting
After the winning bids are determined, the voting process will begin. This will be done by the FIFA Executive Council consisting of 24 members. Among these is the head of the FIFA organization himself and several representatives from each continental federation.
Each host nation on the winning bid will provide a presentation in front of the committee in a gala event. The council will then decide to cast their votes via a balloting system in private. The FIFA president then will announce the official host nation in a television audience.
Controversy
One of the early controversies surrounding the selection of host country is the rotation of nations between the continents of Europe and South America. This has led to the actions of both Uruguay and Argentina to boycott the sporting event. The system now improved with a congress tasked on selecting the host nation using numerous criteria and requirements.
Despite the development of the bidding and voting process in the host nation selection, FIFA was still accused several times of corruption due to the secrecy of the voting process.
Also, resentment between bidding nations has been a constant issue in the process of selection. Recently, Russia and England had animosity towards each other during the bidding process and finally resolved in October that year.
Final Words
The selection of the host nation of the FIFA ฟุตบอลโลก 2022 has always been an intricate process. Hosting the most prestigious sporting event in the world is not only a huge privilege but also a big responsibility and it requires careful consideration.
