Soccer: Aussies plan World Cup bid, NZ could play part

Australia is plotting a bid to host the 2018 World Cup finals, with the sport's organising body not ruling out New Zealand as a possible venue for group stage matches.

Football Federation Australia chief executive John O'Neill, vilified in this country two years ago after the New Zealand Rugby Union lost sub-hosting rights to the 2003 rugby World Cup, admitted the irony of potentially offering New Zealand a slice of the soccer pie.

O'Neill was at the helm of the Australian Rugby Union when the International Rugby Board stripped the NZRFU of sub-hosting rights.

The ARU then oversaw the efficient running of the most commercially successful rugby showcase since it was instigated in 1987.

"I believe staging the soccer World Cup in 2018 is a real possibility for us and, strange as it might sound coming from me, we could even stage some of the group games in New Zealand," O'Neill told the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper.

Australia's bid for soccer's global showpiece starts with the FFA bidding to host the 2007 Fifa Congress.

Despite Australian soccer's imminent move to Asia from the Oceania federation, the FFA was optimistic it could mount a convincing argument to host the 2018 World Cup under the new Fifa rotation system, and wants to use the 2007 congress to begin the lobbying process.

"I think we have the credentials, and that's why we're so keen to have the congress," O'Neill said.

"You've got 500 or 600 people at a congress - all the decision-makers of world football - and it's the right place to start our World Cup pitch."

Two years ago Fifa announced it would rotate future World Cups by confederation.

Europe (Germany 2006) and Africa (South Africa 2010) have already been rewarded, while South America is due to stage the 2014 event, with Brazil virtually confirmed as host nation.

That leaves 2018 as the next available opportunity, and with Asia (Japan/Korea 2002) and North/Central America (US 1994) having hosted the tournament relatively recently, Oceania's claims for the 2018 tournament look strong, at least in theory.

Australia is the only Oceania nation capable of staging the tournament alone and although it switches to the Asia federation at the end of the year, O'Neill did not believe that ruled Australia out.

"I'm not as educated as others about the rotation system, but it is my impression that the 2018 World Cup will be available to Asia-Pacific, rather than simply Oceania.

"The thing about the World Cup is that we [Australia] have had every state government in the country expressing an interest in it.

"Right across the nation, event corporations, ministers, government officials have indicated a willingness to get together and make this happen. We have the stadiums and we have expertise from things such as the Olympics and rugby World Cup.

"I've got no doubt Australia would be a fantastic host of the soccer World Cup."

- NZPA