How hosting the Club World Cup can take the ‘handbrakes’ off the A-League

Since assuming control in 2021, the Australian Professional Leagues have struggled to find a working formula to convert the many millions who watch the national teams and overseas leagues, or play the game, into fans of the A-Leagues. After the collapse of the bold KeepUp experiment, the APL has been gripped by financial turmoil, with distributions to clubs falling by almost $1.5 million to just $530,000, and ongoing material concerns about the ability of some clubs to stay afloat. Johnson does not believe unbundling was a mistake, and said there are plenty of examples across world football in which healthy leagues are run independently of their national federation. Asked for his opinion on how the A-League can improve, he said the key was connecting it into global football: a strategy he said was proven by the 2015 Asian Cup and the 2023 Women’s World Cup, and will be again by the 2026 Women’s Asian Cup. “That’s where there is no other sport that can compete with football, when we are hardwired in and connected to global football,” he said. “For me, it’s not so much about what’s holding us back - it’s what propels us forward. That’s the space we need to continue to play. Because I think that as soon as you bring those [tournaments] back, the handbrakes are off.

“You get the football community, the stakeholders, focused on the competition and the legacy that can be provided, and I think that’s where we have seen our quickest growth. So I think implementing a strategy for more global competitions is something that allows the handbrakes to come off.” Johnson had previously flagged FA’s desire to bid for the hosting rights for the new Club World Cup, and believes that should be a high priority for the game in the coming years. Al Hilal player celebrate their shock win over Manchester City in the FIFA Club World Cup. Credit: Getty Images Despite widespread scepticism across Europe, the first edition of the rebooted tournament - currently being played in the United States - is proving a worthy addition to football’s calendar, albeit with the caveat that the calendar itself is jam-packed and at risk of burning out overworked players. The next edition will be held in 2029, and potential hosts are already lining up, including Brazil, Qatar, a combined Spain-Portugal-Morocco bid, and the United States again.

An Australian bid, Johnson said, would be extremely appealing to FIFA because of its ability to reach different timezones across Asia. “It’s a competition that I think will, iteration after iteration, get bigger and bigger. It would be a great competition to bring to Australia,” Johnson said. Lionel Messi and the FIFA Club World Cup trophy. Credit: Getty Images “That’s when I think football becomes interesting to government. Today you have the millions and millions that will watch the Socceroos and Matildas and the millions and millions that play. If the strategy is to ensure that they are watching the A-League, I think the best way to do that ... is to connect the A-League to global club competitions, whether that be the Premier League, Champions League, or the hosting of a major club competition. I think it just adds another element to the game here that we haven’t seen. “The beneficiaries of the Women’s World Cup were the national teams and community football. The beneficiaries of a Club World Cup would be the clubs.”

Johnson also said FA should not give up hope of hosting the men’s World Cup, despite being railroaded out of a bid for the 2034 edition by Saudi Arabia. “I believe Australia will one day host a men’s World Cup. It’s a matter of when, not if,” he said. “I think our 2010 bid was too early, and it’s easy to say that in hindsight. But if you look at what we’ve accomplished since then … we’re steadily building a strong track record. If we continue hosting major global tournaments, even youth competitions, we’ll become a country like the United States, Canada, Qatar, or Saudi Arabia - nations that are now considered ‘normal’ hosts for major events. I believe we’re already on that trajectory. “We need to keep doing the work, and all of us have a responsibility to maintain the pressure and continue bringing major competitions to our region.” There is another way to connect the A-Leagues to global club football: through broadcasting, another area which is unrecognisable in Australia compared to when Johnson began at FA in late 2019.

Optus Sport is shutting down, having on-sold their football rights packages - headed by the Premier League - to Stan Sport, which is owned by Nine, the publishers of this masthead. That deal means that, for the first time since 2016, the Premier League, FA Cup and UEFA Champions League are on the same platform again. Loading Meanwhile, the APL is currently in negotiations for a new broadcast agreement. The current contract with Network 10 and Paramount + to show the A-Leagues expires at the end of the 2025-26 season. Though Nine has shown interest, a short-term extension is expected with the incumbent rights holders - and that would lead to a situation where all of the major football rights deals in Australia, including the A-Leagues, Socceroos and Matildas, and Premier League, will all be in market at roughly the same time. “This landscape is changing rapidly, but one thing remains constant,” Johnson said. “When you look at where the football audience is, and if we step back from just thinking about Australian football, and instead see ourselves as part of global football here in Australia - that’s how I view it - you’ll notice that audiences naturally gravitate toward certain properties: World Cups, the Euros, Champions League, Premier League, national team football.

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