Prime Minister Julia Gillard and Minister for Sport Mark Arbib today congratulated Qatar on their successful bid to host the 2022 FIFA World Cup.
Australia put the best bid possible forward and everyone associated should be extremely proud of their efforts.
The Prime Minister said that while the nation was disappointed to not have been awarded the hosting rights to the 2022 competition, the country would continue to be an avid and active supporter of the competition.
Australians love football and will continue to chase the World Cup competition around the world in Brazil in 2014, Russia in 2018 and again in Qatar in 2022.
All bidding nations put forward top-quality bids - there is no question each of the contenders would have put on a hugely successful event.
The Prime Minister thanked supporters around the nation for their efforts in the development of Australia's bid.
Our 2022 World Cup bid received bi-partisan support from the Federal Parliament and from each State and Territory Government. Our bid would not have gone as far as it did without everyone's efforts.
The tireless work of Frank Lowy, Ben Buckley and the Football Federation of Australia must also be recognised.
Hours of effort were put into ensuring Australia put forward a technically excellent, credible and responsible bid against enormous competition. It is through these efforts that we came so close to the ultimate prize.
Frank Lowy and the team have taken Australian football to new heights on the international stage and we shall continue to build on the legacies created around this World Cup bid.
The bid itself has also put Australia the world stage as we proudly showcased our nation as an attractive tourist destination with welcoming people.
Australia will now turn its turn its attention to securing the right to host the 2015 Asian Cup. The host city will be announced in January.