Tuesday , March 19 2024

World Football Forum to return to China in 2018!

World Football Forum today announced that following the successful conclusion of the first World Football Forum to be staged in China last month, Eventica Sport’s annual football industry event will be returning to the country in 2018.

In what has been a ground-breaking year for the World Football Forum, 2017 has seen the event move from the established football hubs of Europe to the heart of football’s ‘new geography’ in China – one of the sport’s most exciting and fast-growing new markets. In the last three years, China has invested more in international football than any other nation on earth, and the country’s commitment to becoming a world football powerhouse is showing no sign of slowing. The World Football Forum is tracking China’s progress as it seeks to move centre-stage.

Following FIFA President Gianni Infantino’s meeting with China’s President Xi in Beijing earlier this month on June 14, speculation has grown to fever pitch around a Chinese bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2030 or 2034. However, even without a confirmed bid, it is clear that China’s position at the centre of world football is secure. Underscoring the importance of China to the wider football world, Mr. Infantino told President Xi that “China plays a critical role in FIFA’s football development strategy”.

The World Football Forum 2017 brought prominent names in football governance and the wider sports industry to see for themselves the scale of China’s football ambition, and although Chinese Football Association Vice President and General Secretary Zhang Jian – who gave a keynote address at the Forum – played down suggestions that China is yet in a position to win a FIFA World Cup on home soil, there is no doubt as to China’s drive to become a football superpower. The World Football Forum’s brand new three-day format in 2017 included a variety of fringe events, networking opportunities and star-studded football matches and activation.

The World Football Forum 2018 Host City and dates will be announced shortly.

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