In 1997, he was appointed chairman of the German bidding committee for the 2006 World Cup. Franz became the face of the German bid and began traveling around the world together with Fedor Radmann.

Franz quickly realized that personal contact with executive members would be decisive. And he was the perfect man: He already had close relationships with many important personalities in soccer, and his legendary status was extremely helpful in doing so. It became a personal mission for him to bring the World Cup to Germany. He often spoke very openly and emotionally:

“A person only gets the chance to host a tournament like this once in a lifetime. It is my biggest challenge, my biggest dream. ”

Franz traveled around the world so much that newspapers soon referred to him as a “substitute foreign minister” or “perceived federal president.” Paraguay, Botswana, Bahamas, Thailand,.. Franz felt like he was traveling to every country in the world to promote Germany. The German application also received support from numerous celebrities: Boris Becker, Claudia Schiffer, Günter Netzer, Federal Chancellor Gerhard Schröder and Minister of the Interior Otto Schily united behind Franz at the final presentation just before the award ceremony and kept their fingers crossed.

The fact that the award finally went to Germany was the result of his hard work, his charisma and his diplomatic skills. When Germany was chosen, it was one thing in particular: The Kaiser's next big victory.