The Football Federation Australia's chief executive John O'Neill has declared that Australia would officially announce its plan to bid for the 2018 World Cup within the next fortnight. He said the need to bring the tournament to the Pacific Basin for the first time was the FFA's strongest bargaining chip.
He also suggested that Australia would stack up very well indeed if, as expected, England emerges as the major hosting rival for 2018.
"In the next couple of weeks the FFA will come out with a definitive statement, likely to be that we will bid for 2018," O'Neill said.
"With the support of the Federal and state governments (we will) go into it very determined to win but making sure we understand the magnitude of the task.
"We deserve it, the one part of the world that's never hosted the World Cup, after South Africa has hosted in 2010, is the Pacific Basin.
"England has been mentioned as the other candidate for 2018 and there's a presumption that the tournament has to go back to Europe every third time, and that's why I'm conscious we have to have our eyes open.
"They will have good infrastructure, and they're a football nation, but we suffer nothing by comparison."
O'Neill said he was grateful for state government support for an Australian World Cup but warned interstate bickering could yet undermine a bid.
"We've obviously got to get all our ducks in a line and make sure all the state premiers are signing from the same hymn sheet and the federal government likewise," he said.
"We don't want to get into a silly debate between Sydney and Melbourne as to who's going to host the final, let's get ourselves in one box in terms of how we go about it, win the bid then work out where the games are."