Former Rugby World Cup organising boss Martin Snedden told The New Zealand Herald on Sunday he believed New Zealand should look into hosting the World Cup.
Though many saw the proposal as a step too far, those who should know in Dunedin believe it is definitely possible.
Enterprise Dunedin director John Christie said Dunedin was more than capable of holding such an event.
''We absolutely have the ability to host this. The Rugby World Cup proved that we could accommodate people in the city,'' Christie said.
''Sure, there were times when people didn't always have the level of accommodation they wanted but we can make do with that.
''New Zealand has shown through the Rugby World Cup and Cricket World Cup it can host these sort of events. The Football World Cup is at another level but we have the numbers and the viewership to host the event.''
He said the hosting of such events took time but he was confident if passionate people got involved, it could happen. Snedden had an impressive track record and was a man who got things done.
DVML staff deferred comment to Christie but the stadium would be capable of hosting matches.
The Fifa Under-20 World Cup will be hosted in New Zealand in May and June and will be a good test case.
Football South chairman Matthew Holdridge said he hoped New Zealand had a crack at hosting the event.
The country had the capability to host big events, had the stadia and would have the fan support.
Fifa had talked about sharing the cup around its different federations and Oceania was yet to have a turn, although Australia was part of the Asian federation.
''You look at our stadium down here and it can generate in revenue similar, if not more than Wellington, so we don't have a problem in that regard,'' Holdridge said.
The earliest the cup could be held in New Zealand was in 2026 or 2030. The latter year may be unlikely, as it will be the centenary of the first World Cup, held in Uruguay in 1930.
Snedden had suggested New Zealand could host two or three pools and some knockout games, with Australia hosting the bulk of the tournament.
Australia had attempted to host the 2022 cup but failed to get past the first round, getting just one vote.
The last time the cup was shared between two countries was in 2002 when it was hosted by Japan and South Korea.
Fifa had since said it would not hold the cup in two countries, but that does not appear to be set in stone.
