Can Johor truly host the World Cup if the rest of Malaysia falls short?

 

RECENTLY, Tunku Ismail ibni Sultan Ibrahim, the crown prince of Johor, drew quite the attention for claiming that Johor has the potential to host the World Cup.

However, he stressed that Malaysia should just forget it. To recap, his Majesty explained that Johor has a good economic base and sports facilities, including a high-class stadium which has previously been the location for hosting international tournaments such as the 2025 Influencer World Cup.

Netizens were quick to pounce on his words, such as @ReikaAtikah who pointed out that Johor is under Malaysia. “If it is hosted in Johor, then it is in Malaysia,” she said.

“Do we have this desire? If you’re busy trying to be a host just to get slaughtered, it is better they don’t come in,” lamented @AmrilsAvarices.

Then there was @KadukMalang reminding that Johor takes in migrants to form their football team.

Regardless of the negativity, the crown prince of Johor has a point when he mentioned the potential of Johor as a host. 

Note that Johor has the Sultan Ibrahim Stadium, one of Southeast Asia’s most modern football venues, with a capacity of around 40,000 spectators.

Also, Johor Bahru has strong road connectivity and proximity to Singapore, giving access to an international airport network and extensive hotel capacity.

Further on, the state has experience hosting major sporting events and attracting international visitors. However, there is still a long way to go to be able to host the World Cup in Johor.

A modern FIFA World Cup requires multiple stadiums meeting FIFA standards, typically 8 to16 venues depending on the tournament format.

Stadium capacities range from 40,000 to 80,000 plus seats and large-scale transport infrastructure between host cities is also a requirement.

This is not to forget tens of thousands of hotel rooms, dedicated media, broadcasting and training facilities.

Johor currently has only one stadium that would clearly meet World Cup-level expectations.

Returning to the crown prince, he said Malaysia should forget about hosting the World Cup because they simply won’t change the grass.

“Why did I say forget it? Because even if I told them to change the grass 13 years ago, they haven’t changed it yet. After that, you can dream of hosting the World Cup. Just forget it,” he said in his own words.

The statement was made when answering a question about the capabilities of countries like Qatar, which hosted the 2022 World Cup despite being much smaller in size than Malaysia.

According to the crown prince, continuous efforts are also seen as important to ensure that all stadiums in the state meet international standards, thus strengthening Johor’s capabilities on the global stage in the future. —   Focus Malaysia