Both countries will be presenting bids to the FIFA Executive Committee to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cups.

A decision on the host country for the tournaments will be taken in December 2010.

Earlier this morning Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd, less than an hour after arriving in Trinidad,  held a meeting with  FIFA Vice President Jack Warner at the residence of the Australian Ambassador in Cascade.

During discussions Warner inquired from Prime Minister Rudd about the development of the football in Australia.

 Prime Minister Rudd responded “from Strength to strength”, he went on to add that FIFA must look at ways to expand the world globally and it is in this regard Australia may hold the key.

“We must look at innovative ways to grow the game and what better way to do it that in a region which is exploding”

Warner told the PM that the World Cup bid isn’t only about figures, but it is about  a host nation’s social responsibility, its commitment to the world.

To that comment the charismatic leader responded “Australia is looking to expand its diplomatic footprint in the globe and we are using sport as a mechanism to do this.”

And it seems as though the Australian movement is serious about its commitment, Prime Minister Rudd explained that the country intends to expand the number of scholarships, including football scholarships being offered by the government globally

Prime Minster Rudd went on to expand on a number of initiatives his government has implemented in his country using sport as a mechanism to trigger social transformation.

Warner commended the Australian Prime Minister on his commitment to the 2018 bid.

“Mr. Prime Minister, I am impressed by your commitment and involvement in this process.’

Australia has successfully hosted a number of international sporting events including the Olympics and the Commonwealth Games.  Its track record prompted Warner to say “Your country has demonstrated your ability to host World Class events in the past.”

PM Rudd thanked Warner for his compliment saying “ We have a strong bid and it will only get stronger”

Last week Warner told international media that Australia had a “good chance” of wining the bid.

Speaking at the prestigious International Football Arena conference in Kuala Lumpur, Lowy said that world football must make the most of the opportunity offered by the burgeoning growth of Asia.

“Not only is Asia the centre of the future of the world’s economy, but it is also the centre of the future of world football.”

“A FIFA World Cup in the Asian region would secure the future of football in the region as well as give FIFA and its commercial partners the opportunity to generate maximum revenues.”

He said that, with Australia’s strong track record in hosting major events, as well as the quality of its infrastructure and facilities made Australian an obvious choice for a FIFA World Cup.   

Lowy, FFA CEO Ben Buckley, and other members of the Bid team for the 2018-2022 FIFA World Cup will be in Cape Town next week to present Australia’s bid to a global football and media audience.

The FIFA Fan Fest™ will show all matches from next years tournament on giant screens in a safe and secure environment.

The seven international selected to host the events are Berlin, London, Mexico City, Paris, Rio de Janeiro, Rome and Sydney. In addition to these, all 9 South African host cities will be hosting similar events. 

In addition to showing football, each site will feature an all-day entertainment program outside the actual broadcast of the matches. 

The final draw for the 2010 FIFA World Cup finals will be held on 4 December 2009. 

“We have selected the best available players in this age group based on experience and recent playing history.”

Football Federation Australia (FFA) CEO, Ben Buckley, said that the opportunity of playing in a World Cup is a career-defining moment.

“As well as being an important and substantial tournament in its own right, the FIFA U-20 World Cup is an opportunity for players to gain valuable international experience at the highest level.

The Qantas Young Socceroos will be based in the northern Egyptian city of Port Said during the first phase of the tournament.   The Qantas Young Socceroos have been drawn to meet 2007 runners-up, the Czech Republic, Costa Rica and Brazil in the group stage.

The pair met for over an hour along with Football Federation Australia (FFA) Chairman, Frank Lowy AC, as well asFFA CEO, Ben Buckley and FIFA CEO, Jerome Valcke.

Mr Lowy said the Australian delegation received a warm welcome from the FIFA President.

"President Blatter is already well aware off Australia's strong track record in hosting major events"

"It was a very good opportunity for Mr Blatter to hear personally from the Prime Minister of the Governments support for this bid"

Australia's position as part of the Asian Football Confederation and Asia's importance for the future growth of the game were also discussed.

FFA will be required to make a final bid presentation to FIFA in December 2010.

Football Federation Australia (FFA) Chairman Frank Lowy has stated that the people of Australia are the “secret weapon” of Australia’s bid to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup ™ at the official launch held in the Great Hall at Parliament House in Canberra today.

“We believe this bid is realistic and it’s achievable,” he told an audience of politicians, media, past, present and aspiring Socceroos and FFA partners.

Mr Lowy said that hosting the FIFA World Cup™ would be good for football, but also good for Australia.

“Hosting the World Cup would provide Australia with an unparalleled opportunity and give Australia a lasting and living legacy for generations to come.

“On the world stage, there is no event with the same level of global appeal or audience reach as the FIFA World Cup™.

Mr Lowy said that the cumulative global television audience in 2006 was 26.2 billion with the single largest audience group coming from the Asian Football Confederation, of which Australia is a member.

“Asia is on the rise economically, in terms of goods and services and in football,” he said.

“Australia is part of the Asian Football Confederation and is in the Asian time zone.”

But Mr Lowy said that Australia’s “secret weapon” is the Australian people, and Australia as a destination.

“People from all over the world want to visit our country.

“Thanks to the performance of the Qantas Socceroos at the 2006 FIFA World Cup™ in Germany, as well as the many thousands of Australian fans who followed them, the rest of the world has a very positive view of us.”

“Our aim is to show FIFA and the football world that we are passionate about football and welcoming the world.”

FFA also unveiled a promotional film which showcases Australia as a destination, as well as its football and event hosting credentials, encouraging the world to ‘Come Play!’.

The film showcases the Qantas Socceroos as well as a ball travelling around Australia visiting every state and territory showcasing cities, stadia, the outback, wineries and beaches with everyday Australians in a playful mood.

“We have many milestones between today and when the decision is made and we hope that all Australians can join this bid 100 per cent.”

FFA will be required to make a final presentation to FIFA, football’s world governing body, in December 2010 prior to a decision behind made.

“I have the personal commitment of our political leaders to this bid,” said Mr Lowy.

“We have the goodwill and support of other sporting codes around the country.

“And we now invite all Australians to enlist in what we hope will be an exciting and successful campaign to bring the greatest show on earth to the world’s greatest playground.”

Aus2018 and AsianFC.com fully support Australia’s bid to host the FIFA World Cup finals in 2018 and 2022 and urge all readers to do likewise. Join the official website www.australia2018-2022.com.au and urge your friends, family and colleagues to do the same.

The launch will commence at approximately 3pm AEST in the Great Hall at Parliament House and is expected to conclude around 1 hour later.

Speaking from Doha, Football Federation Australia (FFA) CEO, Ben Buckley, said that qualifying for a second consecutive FIFA World Cup was a fantastic achievement.

"It's another first for Australian Football..." 

"Qualifying this time around, with the travel and match conditions the team has experienced, is a true measure of the progress football has made."

The Asian Football Confederation also provided the first nation to qualify. Japan earned it's spot after a 1-0 win over Uzbekistan in Tashkent.

Australia has two more matches in this round of qualification. They play Bahrain in Sydney on Wednesday June 10 and then Japan in Melbourne on Wednesday June 17.

The member associations that have sent the Bid Registration forms for both competitions are, in alphabetical order: Australia, Belgium and the Netherlands, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia, Spain and Portugal, and the USA. Meanwhile, Korea Republic and Qatar have sent a Bid Registration form for the 2022 FIFA World Cup only.

The next step of the process will come in April, when FIFA will send the Bidding Agreement to these associations. The Bidding Agreement will set forth in detail the agreements and information that must be included in the Bid Book. The deadline for the associations to submit the signed Bidding Agreement to FIFA is 11 December 2009.

“While we have had a small but dedicated team working on our bid for the past 18 months compiling infrastructure audits, economic impact analysis and working with Federal and State governments on preliminary planning, we now have a timetable to meet for the Bid and a need to establish a fully operational Bid Team.

Stuart Taggart, Head of Major Events, will project manage FFA Bid operations and will have responsibility for technical aspects of the Bid including infrastructure planning, stadia and host city logistics, finance and project management. 

Bonita Mersiades, Head of Corporate and Public Affairs, will be responsible for domestic and international communications, marketing, government relations, corporate social responsibility and stakeholder and community relations.

Additional appointments will be made over the next few months bringing the bid Team to around 12-15 full time staff.