Football Federation of Australia chief, Ben Buckley, tried to calm fears that hosting the World Cup in 2018 or 2022 may close down the AFL for the entire season. "We have never asked the AFL to shut down their season. We have only outlined to them the various requirements under the FIFA regulations to host the World Cup. We have certainly never said to the AFL that they need to shut their whole season down," Buckley told The Age.

The AFL, the National Rugby League and the Australian Rugby Union support the FFA's bid to host the World Cup, but all are concerned that they will lose access to major stadiums and by a FIFA requirement that there be no other major competitions during length of the Cup.

According to Buckley, "We will discuss with FIFA the possibility of continuing the competitions and we would expect that there are precedents that would say that those competitions can continue to occur during the World Cup. What we have to be mindful of is that they won't be played in the World Cup venues. That means we have to find alternative venues. We understand there's a competitive element, but I think the World Cup is bigger than any individual sport. It is the biggest sports event in the world, it has substantial economic impact benefits to Australia, it enhances our standing as a nation around the globe. It will have enormous social benefits. I think everyone understands that, it's a matter of working together constructively to find some solutions."

It is likely that spiritual home of footy, the Melbourne Cricket Ground, will be unavailable to the AFL for between 6 and 8 weeks, with up to 4 weeks to prepare the stadium and then 4 weeks during the Cup itself. But Buckley said that no major changes would made to the configuration of the ground.

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