Here is a Wild Idea: The East African Community Should Bid to Host the 2034 World Cup
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Welcome to the Not an Afterthought Newsletter. We lead the conversation on how to accelerate Africa’s socio-economic development so that the continent is no longer considered an afterthought with a particular emphasis on the role technology will play!
One of Dr. Akinwumi Adesina’s favorite phrases is “Africa can no longer be ignored.”
If that is true—which it has to be because the president of the African Development Bank cannot be wrong—then maybe it is not such a wild idea.
FIFA dictates that the host nation must have several stadiums with a minimum capacity of 40,000. Two of the stadiums must have a capacity of 60,000+, and one that will host the final should have an 80,000-plus capacity.
The Stade de Martyrs in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo, has a capacity of 80,000.
The Moi International Sports Center in Nairobi, Kenya, and Benjamin Mkapa Stadium in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, have a capacity of 60,000.
The Stade Tata Raphael in Kinshasa, DRC, and Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, have a capacity of 40,000 plus.
The EAC region has several 30,000-35,000 capacity stadiums that can be upgraded to meet the 40,000+ requirement. They include:
CCM Kirumba Stadium in Mwanza Tanzania
Nyayo National Stadium in Nairobi, Kenya
Nakivubo Stadium in Kampala, Uganda
Amahoro Stadium in Kigali, Rwanda
Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega, Kenya
Stade Municipal de Lubumbashi in Lubumbashi, DRC
That means the region wouldn’t incur a great cost to build new stadiums. Building new stadiums is often the most controversial aspect of hosting a world cup because there is often no return on investment. If anything, it’s a loss because the stadiums will eventually degrade due to underuse.
If the region is upgrading the stadiums already in use, there is no danger of underuse.
Next up, FIFA’s transportation requirements.
FIFA requires that each stadium have an airport nearby with a minimum capacity of 1450 passengers per hour.
N’djili International Airport in Kinshasa, Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Mwanza Airport in Mwanza, Entebbe International Airport in Entebbe, Kigali International Airport in Kigali and Julius Nyerere International Airport in Dar es Salaam meet this requirement.
If they do not, they will have done it by 2034. The East African Community is on a mission to create a robust air transport sector across the region. Early this year, the EAC Secretary General called on leaders to implement a single Air Transport Market agreement to lower transport costs and encourage air travel.
Another transport requirement is the ease of travel between the training camps/hotel and the airports. The majority of these stadiums are in capital cities, which means they are surrounded by a well-developed road infrastructure that will facilitate ease of movement.
That stadiums are in major cities is a particular advantage that applies to the EAC. Typically, FIFA requires that the stadiums be spread out across the host country. It forces the country to build stadiums in far-flung cities/towns that lack adequate transport infrastructure. The country must spend a lot of money to upgrade its transport infrastructure.
With the EAC region, the stadiums are in different countries, so they are already spread out enough to meet FIFA’s requirements.
Last up on FIFA’S list of requirements is accommodation.
The host nation must have at least 4 hotels for each stadium location, 72 base camp hotels for referees and teams, and between 1780 and 8,080 hotel rooms for spectators in each host city.
Again, all these stadiums are in the capital or major cities, and while the region needs to do more research to determine if all the cities meet the exact specifications, chances are high that they do. Nairobi, Kigali and Dar es Salaam probably do because they are massive tourist locations.
During the 2018 World Cup, Russia constructed 27 new hotels and 26 transport facilities. Brazil, in 2014, chose to bring in six cruise ships to meet the accommodation demands. The ships provided 10,000 extra rooms.
So, the EAC might still have to build new facilities to meet all the requirements (especially the 4 hotels per stadium location requirement). Still, considering how big of a tourist destination the region is, chances are high that the infrastructure will find adequate use after the competition.
How Feasible Is It?
If FIFA was okay with the US, Canada, and Mexico (almost the entire North American continent), hosting the 2026 World Cup, they might be amenable to awarding it to a region.
Sure, the logistics might be a bit crazy since the EAC has seven member states, but those can be solved, right?
FIFA typically awards automatic qualification to the host nation. That might not be easy when the host nation, in this case, nations, are seven. However, who said the East African Community cannot have one team representing them? The best players from all seven countries (don’t ask me who will determine that) can come together as one Jumuiya team to represent the region.
It is doable, no?
FIFA would have to agree, but the organization is becoming increasingly okay with controversial decisions. The 2026 World Cup will be the first time three nations have come together to host the tournament. When FIFA made the decision, a lot of countries found it strange.
Going forward, it will probably become a trend. Spain, Portugal and Ukraine have already presented a joint bid to FIFA to host the 2030 world cup together.
Who says the EAC cannot set another trend of an entire economic region hosting the world cup?
Why Does Hosting the World Cup Matter?
Money-wise, it makes little sense. Consider Qatar 2022. FIFA will only give Qatar $1.7 billion, including the $440 million prize money, yet, Qatar has spent over $220 billion for preparations.
Long term, however, the benefits are massive. It is an opportunity to sell your country to the world. An estimated 5 billion people will watch Qatar 2022. With such numbers, if you sell your country well, business people will flock to the region to invest once the world cup is over.
For the East African Community, it is a chance to sell the region as a premier tourist center with a friendly business environment.
One thing is for sure, if the EAC decides to do this, it will bond the region like nothing ever has. Organizing such an event is difficult and requires a lot of communication, unity and teamwork.
By the end, all seven nations will be so stressed and intertwined that the level of integration will be at an all-time high. The EAC is already the most integrated region in Africa. Hosting a world cup together would quadruple or quintuple that.
If this is your first time here, here are a couple of issues that you might have missed.
Dissecting The East Africa Community (EAC) Customs Union: How Has It Benefited EAC Citizens?
Frequently Asked Questions About East African Community (EAC)
Rethinking Tourism for Social Economic Development in the East African Community
Are You Traveling Across the East Africa Community? Get Yourself an Airtel Sim Card
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