Borussia Dortmund plan Asia Tour during 2022 World Cup
Borussia Dortmund are planning an Asia tour while the 2022 World Cup takes place in Qatar this coming November and December.
With the 2022 World Cup in Qatar set to take place between November 20th and December 18th, clubs around the world will be looking to make a plan for this timeframe, with the aim to use the time as productively as possible. Borussia Dortmund is no different in this sense.
According to Ruhr Nachrichten, Borussia Dortmund will be looking to take the players not at the World Cup on an Asia tour in order to promote the club and the Bundesliga as a whole. This will not be the club’s first venture into Asia, with Dortmund embarking on an Asia tour in 2015, as well as a virtual Asia tour in 2020.
The tour has been not yet been officially announced. But the news comes just days after Borussia Dortmund penned a deal with financial brokerage firm, Auric International Markets Limited (AIMS). This deal will work in the club’s favor by allowing for additional exposure, as well as provide an opportunity for the two entities to create co-branded content that will help Dortmund increase it’s presence in this part of the world.
The work Borussia Dortmund is doing will, as mentioned, also help expand interest in the Bundesliga. Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has stated that it is imperative for the Bundesliga to establish more of a presence abroad:
"“It cannot be that 14 Premier League clubs play in the core markets during the summer break, but only one or two from the Bundesliga.”"
Watzke, and in extension BVB’s efforts are intended to bring the needed exposure, but also encourage other clubs within the league to tap into these markets. Having Die Schwarzgelben make an effort to visit this part of the world will show supporters that the club and league want them to engage in the culture of German Football. As we have seen across football’s landscape, there has been a shift in the narrative where international fans are becoming more and more important in the grand scheme of running a European football club.
DFL Chief Donata Hopfen has echoed much of Watzke’s sentiment towards expanding interest in the league:
"“Internationalization is one of our identified growth areas….We’re certainly not as present there [Asia, North and South America] as we could be.“"
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While it’s unlikely that Borussia Dortmund will be able to bring the majority of their biggest stars with them because of international duty, there will certainly be players of interest for fans in this region to get to watch and interact with. Their efforts will hopefully have fruitful impact on the level of interest the league garners from beyond Germany’s borders for the current season and beyond.