The nine candidates competing to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups have handed their official bid books to FIFA In accordance with the process laid out in the FIFA circular, the delegations of Australia, England, Netherlands/Belgium, Japan, South Korea, Qatar, Russia, Spain/Portugal and the US were in attendance on Friday in Zurich to submit their bids. "I would like to congratulate all of the candidates," said FIFA President Joseph Blatter before the nations made their bids. "I'm happy to note that every bid has the full backing of its respective government. It is crucial to have these guarantees in place beforehand. It's a competition, just like a football match, and on 2 December the decision will be made at the conclusion of deliberations by the FIFA Executive Committee. I wish each candidae the best of luck, although as we know, there can only be one winner." A representative from each delegation then presented their country's dossier to Blatter before the press, and was subsequently given the opportunity to deliver a short address to FIFA and the world's media. In January 2009, FIFA had kicked off the 24-month process to select the hosts of the 2018 and the 2022 World Cups by sending out a circular to the member associations eligible to bid (145 for 2018, 198 for 2022) inviting them to express their interest to submit a bid for either or both of these competitions. In accordance with the decision of the FIFA Executive Committee at its meeting in December 2008 in Tokyo, a simultaneous bidding process for both editions of the World Cup, the biggest single sport event in the world, will take place. The process will finish in December 2010 when the Executive Committee will appoint the hosts. Blatter had said almost 18 months ago that if FIFA could offer two competitions for eight years to its partners and broadcasters and give extra time for planning, the economic result for FIFA would be better. "The existing rule that a continent cannot host the World Cup twice in a row will not be changed. This was to make sure that it would go to Africa otherwise it never would have. As the next two World Cups will be in the southern hemisphere, it is perhaps logical that Australia concentrates on the 2022 tournament. The two tournaments will be held in different continents," Blatter had said. In its circular, FIFA stressed the fact that its flagship competition has the unequivocal power "to wake emotions and unite people worldwide. FIFA is determined that this overwhelming ability to reach out to the world should benefit the game of football itself and society in general, and therefore asks that candidates make sure that this power is used in order to achieve positive change, in line with FIFA's philosophy: For the Game. For the World. "At this stage of the bidding process, FIFA would like to emphasise that the infrastructure and facilities in the host country must be of the highest quality in order to fulfill the requirements of the world's most popular sporting event. Approximately 12 stadiums with minimum capacities of between 40,000 for group matches and 80,000 for the opening match and final, are required to host the World Cup, which is expected to be contested by 32 teams. In addition, the very highest standards of TV broadcasting, information and telecommunications technology, transport and accommodation are an absolute must. "It is also important to point out that the FIFA Confederations Cup will be hosted the year before the respective World Cup, not only as a major competition in its own right, but also to test the infrastructure of the host country for the following year's showcase event. "Pursuant to Article 76 of the FIFA statues, the following entry conditions apply to interested member associations: member associations affiliated to CAF and CONMEBOL may not participate in the bidding process with respect to the 2018 World Cup. "And subject to the above, member associations may participate in the bidding process for or both the 2018 World Cup and/or the 2022 World Cup. However, under Article 76 of the FIFA statues, member associations from the same confederation will not be appointed to host consecutive editions of the World Cup. FIFA will therefore not appoint a host member association for the 2022 World Cup from the Confederation as the host member association of the 2018 World Cup." After the bidding nations made their presentations, the delegates made their comments. Frank Lowy, Australia, chairman of the Australian Football Association "We're proud to be presenting our bid here today. We have the unified support of the nation behind it, and we're ready to host the biggest sporting event in the world. This is great news for football and great news for the whole country as everyone will benefit if we win the right to host a World Cup. Today marks an important day for football in Australia and a crucial milestone in the World Cup bidding process." David Beckham, England, England 2018 vice-president " Thank you for the chance to be here today and to be involved in this bid. As you will see in our bid book, we have a lot of passion for the game and for bringing the biggest sporting event in the world to our country. As a player, you always dream of playing in a World Cup in your own country. I'm here on behalf of the fans -- football runs through our veins." Ruud Gullit, Netherlands, president of Netherlands/Belgium bid "I'm proud to be presenting our bid and proud that we are in the running for staging the biggest sporting event on the planet. Both countries wish to demonstrate their potential, which is why we have laid out seven specific goals in our bid book. When I was a boy, I myself followed World Cups on television. I have an eight- year-old son -- I would love to give him the chance to attend an event like this in person, because it truly is an incredible occasion." Motoaki Inukai, Japan, chairman of the Japanese Football Association "I firmly believe that our bid is totally unique. It's not just a case of us wanting to host another World Cup after the one we held in 2002 -- we would like to produce a tournament with a smile. In 2002, the World Cup cheered us all up, and we would love to return the favour in 2022. Via this event, we're aiming to bring the world a little bit closer together, putting a smile on everyone's face in the process!" Sung-joo Han, South Korea, chairman of the 2018/2022 South Korea bid committee "We have worked extremely hard to be able to present the perfect bid here today. The whole nation is behind our efforts. Staging the 2022 World Cup would give a real boost to the Korean people, who have in the past fought to uphold peace and progress. If you give us this chance, we will deliver a flawless, peaceful World Cup that will leave a lasting impression on the world, on FIFA's behalf." Sheikh Mohamed bin Hamad Al-Thani, Qatar, chairman of the Qatar 2022 bid committee "We are delighted to be here; it's a unique opportunity for us. We have complete confidence in our bid. We consider it a great privilege to be representing the Middle East -- it's a first for the region. If we are awarded the World Cup, rest assured that the imprint left on our area of the world would be everlasting. In the same way that the World Cup is set to open its doors to Africa later this year, we hope that they will open to the Middle East in 2022." Igor Shuvalov, Russia, deputy prime minister of Russia "This is an important day for Russia. Within our bid book we have not only provided all of the relevant information requested by FIFA but we have also explored the very future of our nation. In hosting the World Cup, it is our entire country as well as our football that would make progress. And with all due respect to the other candidates, I am convinced that only Russia can succeed. We mention in our bid the 13 potential host cities we have selected -- all of them are ready to stage the tournament. Be it in 2018 or in 2022, we aim to show the new, modern face of Russia to the world." Angel Maria Villar-Llona, Spain/Portugal, president of the Spanish Football Association "I'm very happy to submit our 'Iberian' bid book and I can assure you that, should we be successful, you will witness the most joyful, most efficiently organised and safest World Cup in the event's history. The perfect unity between the Portuguese and Spanish peoples, economies, governments and football associations makes our bid one of the strongest in the running. I can guarantee that, if we are awarded the competition, we will not fail." Sunil Gulati, US, president of the US Soccer Federation "The first time I ever came to FIFA's headquarters was in 1984, and since then, much has changed. Since the World Cup that we hosted, we have achieved a lot of great things -- I would call it a good first half, so to speak. But for me, the second half starts right now, and I hope it will be as productive as the first. Should we be awarded the World Cup, we are in a position to not only provide state-of-the-art stadiums and modern infrastructure, but also to be able to leave an enduring impression on American soccer." The host nations for both editions will be announced at the FIFA Executive Committee meeting in December 2010. Over the next few months the Weekly will focus on each of the nine candidates bidding to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. Coverage of the candidates will be conducted in alphabetical order
