The Australian Government today announced it will formally support a Football Federation of Australia bid to have Australia host the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
The Football Federation of Australia (FFA) will lodge a formal national bid for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
Winning the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup is a Herculean task, but overcoming tough odds is what Australian Football does best.
For an Australian World Cup bid to be successful the FFA will need the full and united support of the Commonwealth and State and Territory Governments.
To achieve this national support the Australian Government will put Australia's 2018 FIFA World Cup bid on the March COAG agenda.
As the host country for the 2018 FIFA World Cup is likely to be announced in 2011, the Government is keen to see Australia's bid kick off as soon as possible.
Representatives of the FFA will meet with senior Australian Government officials in the next week to begin planning the bid.
Australia has a reputation of excellence - on and off the field. The 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, 2003 Rugby World Cup and the 2006 Commonwealth Games has shown the world that Australia is nation that delivers the world's best events.
The FIFA World Cup is the world's largest sporting event. The 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany attracted 3.35 million spectators, including 2 million visitors from overseas.
The event was broadcast to 214 countries and watched by a cumulative TV audience of more than 26 billion people.
Venues such as the MCG and Telstra Dome in Melbourne, ANZ Stadium and Sydney Football Stadium in Sydney, Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane and the recently announced new stadium for Perth could host matches.
Soccer in Australia has 450,000 registered participants and has never been more popular. A bid to host the 2018 World Cup is a natural follow on from the brilliant performance of the Socceroos at the 2006 World Cup and the success of the A League.
FIFA's 2008 member associations each get one vote in determining the successful bid. The cost of the bid would be shared between the Australian Government, State and territory Government's and the FFA.