Plans for 12 new stadiums and strong corporate backing should make the joint Netherlands-Belgium bid to co-host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup finals compelling, organisers said.
The bid was formally kicked off on Monday, although the two countries had already indicated they would try to secure soccer's biggest global event, held every four years and, at the last count, watched by a cumulative 26 billion people.
"Competition is fierce," bid executive Harry Been told a news conference at PSV stadium.
"We have to be an attractive alternative."
Benelux is one of 11 candidates competing alongside Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, South Korea, Mexico, Qatar, Russia, Spain and Portugal, and the United States.
Dutch construction company BAM, Dutch financial group ING, Air France unit KLM, PriceWaterhouse Coopers and Dutch staffing company Randstad were presented as the main sponsors of the one billion-plus euro event.
The 12 new stadiums are estimated to cost between 60 million euros and 100 million each.
Dutch soccer greats Johan Cruyff and Ruud Gullit, swimmer Pieter van den Hoogenband and Belgian cyclist Eddy Merckx were introduced as the bid's main ambassadors.
The next World Cup is due to be held in South Africa in 2010 while Brazil will host the 2014 tournament. Soccer's world governing body FIFA is due to announce the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in December 2010.
The Dutch-Belgian bid is seen as a long shot after FIFA president Sepp Blatter said earlier this year that single bids were likely to get preference over joint ones.
But in July, Blatter reassured Belgium and Netherlands that their World Cup bid was valid despite his preference for single-nation bids, calling the joint bid "appealing".
Michael van Praag, president of the Dutch soccer association (KNVB) told reporters yesterday the Dutch-Belgian bid could become a good alternative if it makes it to the second round of voting among the FIFA delegates.
"Don't underestimate the second round," Van Praag said.
"But it will not be easy."
Belgium and Netherlands co-hosted the 2000 European Championship, which also could be a benefit.
"We have proven we can actually hold such an event," said François De Keersmaecker, president of the Belgian soccer union.