The ACT government is locked in a World Cup standoff with Rugby Australia, with neither willing to budge on the fees attached to being a host city for the 2027 tournament.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
or signup to continue reading
ACT Sport Minister Yvette Berry says the government has put in a bid to have four matches played at Canberra Stadium after initially baulking at the asking price for World Cup games.
It can be revealed ACT officials and World Cup organisers haven't spoken in months since the government refused to increase its financial offer for the package of games.
It has fuelled concerns Canberra will be absent from the schedule in a similar scenario to the one that played out during the women's soccer World Cup, when the capital was sidelined from Matildas fever.
ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr has taken a hard-line stance to the cost of bringing sporting events to Canberra, describing women's World Cup fees as "exorbitant". The government also opted not to host men's Twenty20 cricket World Cup games last year.
The rugby World Cup was heading down a similar path, but the government eventually decided to put in an offer for a four-game package for matches not involving the Wallabies.
Berry was pressed about the government's bid during question time on Tuesday when Canberra Liberals leader Elizabeth Lee said it was "embarrassing" that the city had missed out on cricket and soccer World Cup action.
"You appear to be a bit wishy washy about the ACT's bid for Canberra to be involved in the upcoming men's and women's rugby World Cups," Lee said.
MORE CANBERRA SPORT
Berry responded: "I don't agree with the premise of the opposition's question that we have been wishy washy. I have been clear about the application to secure games in the ACT, but we haven't heard back yet. It's just ridiculously immature, we haven't heard back from Rugby Australia.
"... We have submitted a bid to Rugby Australia to secure four games as part of the 2027 World Cup, however, we have not heard back from them."
Barr's preference is for Canberra to host the Australian team for one-off fixtures rather than paying a high price to have minnow nations play tournament games in the city.
It is viewed as a savvy way to use taxpayer funds on events, but the cost is missing out on the hype and international exposure attached to World Cup-style tournaments.
Almost 2 million fans went to women's soccer World Cup games and the Matildas smashed broadcast records in Australia.
The men's rugby World Cup is expected to have more than 2.5 million attendees and broadcast figures are expected to eclipse the 857 million people who watched the 2019 tournament.
![ACT Sport Minister Yvette Berry, inset, says the government has bid for four men's rugby World Cup games after not bidding for women's soccer matches. Pictures by Karleen Minney, Anna Warr, Getty Images ACT Sport Minister Yvette Berry, inset, says the government has bid for four men's rugby World Cup games after not bidding for women's soccer matches. Pictures by Karleen Minney, Anna Warr, Getty Images](/images/transform/v1/crop/frm/j2iwCiKfwhVWJky39Vsdpt/079f4757-cce6-4b0a-85a3-f53bf6769307.png/r0_0_1200_675_w1200_h678_fmax.jpg)
Asked if a new Canberra Stadium, which has been slated as part of an AIS redevelopment at Bruce, would be ready for the 2027 World Cup, Berry said: "That's a hypothetical question, I can't respond to that."
Pressed on the decision to not bid for the men's cricket and the women's soccer World Cups and whether Canberrans were missing out on major events, Berry said: "Well, we're not missing out on international sport events. The ACT government is always interested in promoting the ACT as a place ... where spectators can enjoy the best possible elite sport."
Wallabies legend Phil Kearns is leading Australia's World Cup organising committee and has raised concerns about the state of Canberra Stadium and its capacity to be a host venue.
The government has been discussing plans for a new stadium for the past 14 years, most recently ditching a vision to build a venue in Civic to instead focus on redeveloping Canberra Stadium, or building a new facility on adjacent land at Bruce.
Rugby Australia is understood to be keen to finalise some tournament plans this year as it continues venue negotiations and discussions about where the final will be played.
Sydney, Melbourne and Perth are battling for the right to host the final despite the Wallabies in danger of being knocked out of the group stage this week if they lose to Wales at the World Cup in France.
We've made it a whole lot easier for you to have your say. Our new comment platform requires only one log-in to access articles and to join the discussion on The Canberra Times website. Find out how to register so you can enjoy civil, friendly and engaging discussions. See our moderation policy here.