NOAH DAVIS – David Downs, executive director of the United States 2018/2022 World Cup bid, will spend the majority of the next 75 days on the road lobbying for votes. He has an ace up his sleeve, however: The Confederations Cup.
While the tournament in South Africa failed to draw large crowds, Downs believes it would sell out in America (read: money, money, money).
When I spoke with him for MLSSoccer.com on Friday, I asked him if the dollars generated by the Confed Cup was the reason he thought it would be “a big asset for our bid.”
Here’s what he had to say:
“When you combine what I think is fundamentally a really neat tournament with the size of our stadiums and our demonstrated ability to draw magically large crowds for even international exhibitions, it makes for a heck of an event. When I say it would be a great event, yes, absolutely in terms of ticket sales I clearly mean that. I think it would sell a million tickets or more at pretty significant prices without having to rely on people coming from abroad two years in a row. By the same token, being able to have this event that has a great atmosphere on the field and in the stands, I think it benefits that sport as well.”