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What's the story?
After the successful hosting of the 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup, the president of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has confirmed that India will bid for hosting rights of the 2020 and 2021 FIFA Club World Cups.
India has already submitted its bid for hosting the 2019 FIFA U20 World Cup with the definitive bid to be handed over before November 1st's deadline and the latest announcement comes as another big piece of news for the growing Indian football community.
In case you didn't know...
The 2017 FIFA U17 World Cup is the first time India has hosted a footballing event of such magnitude. The India U17 team, in the process, became the first Indian team to participate at a FIFA event.
The heart of the matter
At a tournament wrap-up press conference held at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata, Patel, alongside FIFA U17 World Cup 2017 director Javier Ceppi and FIFA's head of tournaments Jaime Yarza addressed the media and laid out a few indicators that suggest the successful hosting of the FIFA U17 World Cup by India.
India 2017 is well on course to beat the world record attendance figures at a FIFA U17 World Cup as only 6,000 more people in the stands are needed to break the record currently held by the inaugural FIFA U17 World Cup in China in 1985. Given the Salt Lake Stadium - which clocked more than 60,000 in attendance in its last two World Cup games - will host the remaining two FIFA U17 World Cup matches, India 2017 is almost certain to create a new record.
That aside, the opportunity to host big clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona - the most recent Champions League winners - will be an added incentive for India to submit a strong bid.
The FIFA Club World Cup is an intercontinental club tournament held during the final months of a calendar year and features champion teams from every confederation. This year's FIFA Club World Cup will see the likes of Real Madrid, Pachuca, Urawa Red Diamonds among others in the UAE.
What's next?
India hosting global events of the Club World Cup's magnitude will be a boost to the footballing ecosystem in the country. India also expressed its interest in hosting this year's FIFA Club World Cup but the bid was ultimately won by UAE.
