MOSCOW - Sepp Blatter expects tough competition for the
right to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, the FIFA president said
on Saturday.
"We already have 10 potential bidders," Blatter told a news
conference during the opening of the CIS Cup, an annual tournament
involving the club champions from the 15 former Soviet
republics.
"If we go from west to east we have Mexico, United States, Spain
alone or together with Portugal, England, a joint bid from the
Netherlands and Belgium, I do hope Russia (will bid), Japan, Qatar,
China and Australia."
South Africa will host the 2010 World Cup and Brazil is due to
stage the 2014 edition.
Turning to Russian soccer chief Vital Mutko, Blatter said: "I
definitely expect Russia to be a candidate to host the World Cup
either in 2018 or 2022."
Alexei Sorokin, general director of the Russian FA, said
officials had yet to make up their mind about submitting a formal
bid.
"We haven't sent an official letter to FIFA yet as we're still
waiting for the government to formally endorse our bid," Sorokin
told Reuters.
This week world soccer's ruling body set a Feb. 2 deadline for
potential bidders to formally express their interest.
For the first time FIFA will have a simultaneous bidding process
for the two events, which will be awarded to the successful
candidates in December 2010.
