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Harare - Zimbabwe have reportedly indicated that they are considering mounting a bid to host the 2034 FIFA World Cup.
According to Nigerian website Ventures, Zimbabwe's minister of Tourism, Walter Mzembi confirmed that plans are in place to launch a bid to host the second World Cup on African soil.
Mzembi said that he spoke to FIFA president Sepp Blatter during the first World Cup on African soil in 2010, saying that Blatter told him it was possible for the cash-strapped nation to stage the event 20 years from now.
He reiterated that Zimbabwe's economic situation will not prevent their efforts to bid for the 2034 edition of the tournament and will use the country's reputation as a tourism hotspot to aid their bid.
Mzembi says that provided they are given the rights to host the event, they would have enough time to market the region as a prime tourist attraction, and in so doing, generate added revenue to offset the capital outlay needed to upgrade the country's infrastructure to meet FIFA requirements.
Furthermore, Mzembi said that should they bid, they would include other SADC nations to help co-host the event, including cities such as Gaborone, Lusaka, Maputo and Johannesburg (which staged 15 matches as a city in 2010).
Zimbabwe was stripped of hosting the 2000 African Cup of Nations due to government intervention, with the tournament eventually being staged in Ghana and Nigeria.
According to Nigerian website Ventures, Zimbabwe's minister of Tourism, Walter Mzembi confirmed that plans are in place to launch a bid to host the second World Cup on African soil.
Mzembi said that he spoke to FIFA president Sepp Blatter during the first World Cup on African soil in 2010, saying that Blatter told him it was possible for the cash-strapped nation to stage the event 20 years from now.
He reiterated that Zimbabwe's economic situation will not prevent their efforts to bid for the 2034 edition of the tournament and will use the country's reputation as a tourism hotspot to aid their bid.
Mzembi says that provided they are given the rights to host the event, they would have enough time to market the region as a prime tourist attraction, and in so doing, generate added revenue to offset the capital outlay needed to upgrade the country's infrastructure to meet FIFA requirements.
Furthermore, Mzembi said that should they bid, they would include other SADC nations to help co-host the event, including cities such as Gaborone, Lusaka, Maputo and Johannesburg (which staged 15 matches as a city in 2010).
Zimbabwe was stripped of hosting the 2000 African Cup of Nations due to government intervention, with the tournament eventually being staged in Ghana and Nigeria.
