18 Mar 2009

FIFA confirms bids for 2018 and 2022 World Cups

6:18 am on 18 March 2009

Football's world governing body FIFA says all 13 countries which had expressed an interest have submitted their initial bids to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cups.

Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Mexico, Russia and the United States have bid for both tournaments, along with two joint proposals from Belgium and the Netherlands and Spain and Portugal.

Qatar and South Korea have sent in bid registration forms for the 2022 World Cup only.

Full bids will be submitted in due course with a decision on the hosts for both tournaments being made in December next year.

With Brazil hosting the 2014 finals, FIFA had already said that South American nations could not bid for 2018 and 2022.