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By Mihar Dias July 2026
Politicians are incurable optimists. They have to be. If they weren't, nobody would dare promise a bridge before the river is built, a train before the tracks are laid, or prosperity before the budget is balanced.
So when Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Zahid Hamidi declared that Malaysia should aspire to host the FIFA World Cup, one could almost hear the theme song from The Impossible Dream playing softly in the background. https://newswav.com/A2607_xi255e?s=A_Y7RVoCv&language=en
Dreams, after all, are free.
Reality, unfortunately, comes with a very expensive price tag.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup is not being hosted by one country. It has taken the combined might of the United States, Canada and Mexico—three large nations with world-class airports, highways, rail systems, hotels and dozens of international-standard stadiums—to stage the tournament.
Even with three countries sharing the burden, the logistics resemble a military campaign rather than a football competition.
Meanwhile, we still celebrate whenever an expressway remains pothole-free for six consecutive months.
Hosting the World Cup is not merely about finding a field with two goalposts and enough chairs for VIPs. FIFA demands elite stadiums, efficient public transport, thousands of hotel rooms, high-capacity airports, sophisticated security, training complexes, telecommunications infrastructure and seamless crowd management.
Malaysia struggles to keep domestic football stadiums in respectable condition.
Some pitches resemble padi fields after the monsoon. Others have floodlights that appear to be powered by nostalgic memories.
A heavy downpour remains our most dangerous opposing striker.
Imagine FIFA inspectors arriving.
“Where is the secondary training complex?”
“It's under renovation.”
“And the primary stadium?”
“Also under renovation.”
“The public transport?”
“Depends on which day you arrive.”
One almost expects the inspection report to recommend rubber boots instead of football boots.
Then comes the small matter of our footballing credentials.
Malaysia currently sits around 136th in the FIFA rankings. Our ambitions are permanently in the Premier League while our performances often remain somewhere in the qualifying rounds of optimism.
We have become specialists in celebrating "moral victories", "encouraging performances" and “building for the future.”
That future has been under construction for decades.
There is nothing wrong with dreaming big.
Every successful nation began with ambitious ideas.
But dreams become plans only when they are accompanied by budgets, competence, execution and a healthy relationship with reality.
Perhaps we should first aspire to consistently qualify for the World Cup before volunteering to host it.
Perhaps we should produce enough stadiums where spectators worry about the score rather than the roof.
Perhaps we should perfect domestic football before promising the world's biggest sporting carnival.
After all, hosting the World Cup is rather like announcing your intention to hold the world's grandest wedding before you've found a bride.
The declaration generates excitement.
The guests applaud politely.
But someone eventually asks the awkward question.
“Where exactly is this going to take place?”
Until Malaysia possesses the infrastructure, transport systems, sporting facilities and football pedigree expected of a World Cup host, Zahid's announcement remains precisely what it is today.
A dream.
A pleasant one, certainly.
An ambitious one, unquestionably.
But at this moment, it belongs less in FIFA's bid book than in the inspirational quotes section of a motivational calendar.
Still, hope springs eternal in politics.
And in football, as supporters often say, there's always next season.
Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!
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