The corruption scandal linked to the Tokyo 2020 Games has undermined Sapporo’s hopes of hosting the Winter Games in 2030. And even subsequent editions, the IOC having already chosen Salt Lake City for 2034 and, barring disaster, Switzerland for 2038. But Japan still dreams big. And even very large.
Their next target: the men’s World Cup. For 2030, the deal is done. It will be played in Spain, Portugal and Morocco, with first-round matches in Argentina, Uruguay and Chile. For 2034, Saudi Arabia has already won the race. Japan is therefore looking to the longer term. Its window of opportunity is between 2038 and 2050. Playable.
According to national media, including Kyodo News, the Japanese project has just gained a little more depth with the announcement of the decision, still unofficial, to increase the capacity of the Tokyo Olympic stadium. Currently set at 68,000 seats, it would be increased to 80,000 spectators, the number set by FIFA for the final and the opening match of a men’s World Cup.
Quoting a source: close to the file », Kyodo News reports that the company NTT Docomo Inc, the first mobile telephone operator in Japan, in charge of operating the stadium after its privatization next April, is already working on the project of installing temporary stands on the edge of the field. The system would make it possible to increase to 80,000 seats, and thus include the athletics stadium for the Tokyo 2020 Games as the centerpiece of a candidacy file for the Football World Cup.
As a reminder, Japan co-organized with South Korea the World Cup in 2002, the first in history on the Asian continent. But this time, the archipelago no longer wants to share. He aims to host the global tournament alone.
In the initial version, the Tokyo Olympic Stadium was to be transformed after the 2020 Games. The athletics track was to be removed, to make way for seats installed closer to the action. The enclosure would then have been dedicated exclusively to football and rugby.
But the project has changed. The awarding by World Athletics to the Japanese capital of the world athletics championships in 2025 has led the authorities to revise their plans. The track will not be destroyed.
According to NTT Docomo, there are now plans to review the configuration of the stadium, with the addition of temporary stands for a football World Cup. The work would be accompanied by the addition of a giant screen, one of the largest in Japan.
At the start of the year, three consortia responded to the call for tenders launched by the Japanese authorities for the private operation of the Olympic stadium. Last month, the Japan Sports Council opted for the group with the best offer. It is made up of NTT Docomo, the Japanese football league – the J-League –, the manufacturer Maeda Corporation and the real estate company SMFL Mirai Partners.
In exchange for an offer of 52.8 billion yen, the four partners obtained the operating license for a period of 30 years, starting next year. More than enough, barring unpleasant surprises, to bring the Football World Cup back to Japan and its capital.
