Oceania and Australia considering 2018 World Cup bid

Oceania and Australia are considering a joint bid to stage the 2018 World Cup, Australian officials said yesterday.

John O'Neill, the chief executive of the Football Federation of Australia (FFA), told Australian Associated Press, Oceania would present their proposal to FIFA at this weekend's Congress in Morocco.

Oceania and Africa are the only FIFA confederations never to have staged the World Cup, although South Africa will host the tournament in 2010. South America is due to stage the tournament in 2014 but there is still no decision on 2018.

"In 2006 the Cup is in Europe, in 2010 it's Africa, 2014 will be South America, and in 2018 it's our turn," O'Neill said.

"(The OFC) are prepared to put us up as host, with some matches to be in New Zealand."

O'Neill, who was in charge of organising the 2003 Rugby World Cup in Australia, said the bid was reliant on FIFA approval as Australia were planning to leave Oceania and join the Asian Football Confederation.