FIFA requirements state the World Cup final stadium has to have a minimum capacity of 80,000. Of the 12 venues expected to be named in the Australian bid, only Sydney’s ANZ Stadium and the Melbourne Cricket Ground satisfy the proviso.
“All I can say is that we haven't determined the venue yet,” said Ben Buckley, chief executive of Football Federation Australia. “But what I can say about all the venues that will be in the bid, without naming them, is that the World Cup will leave all sports with strong legacies with either near-new stadiums or greatly upgraded ones.”
It is believed Australia’s list of 12 stadiums will include two new-builds, in Sydney’s west at Campbelltown and Canberra. The other eight expected are existing grounds in Perth (Subiaco Oval), the Adelaide Oval, Geelong (Skilled Stadium), the Gold Coast Stadium, Newcastle, Townsville, the Sydney Football Stadium and Brisbane’s Suncorp Stadium.
