Let the bidding begin!
Football Federation Australia has signaled it's intention to bid for the rights to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup™.
The bid comes with support from Federal and State Governments along with the Australian public. A supporter group has even been created on popular social networking website Facebook to promote the cause and has attracted nearly 30,000 members in it's first two months of existence.
Commencing with the 2018 tournament, the hosting of the FIFA World Cup™ will cease to be rotated. Under the chairmanship of President Joseph S. Blatter, the FIFA Executive Committee today - 29 October 2007 - unanimously passed a decision to abandon the principle (originally introduced in the year 2000) of rotating the men's World Cup from continent to continent. The confederations whose associations have hosted the two preceding World Cups will not be eligible to bid, however. Consequently, all the associations from Asia, North and Central America and the Caribbean, Oceania and Europe may bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup™.
With the abandonment of the FIFA rotation policy, member football federations of the Asian Football Confederation may now apply.
Australia and China have already expressed an interest in hosting the tournament but will face tough opposition from football powerhouses including England and The Netherlands (Benelux).
Video: Australia's final qualification match for Germany 2006:
