Soccer: Australia considers hosting World Cup

Australia is considering a bid to host the 2018 finals in an ambitious plan which would see some matches played in New Zealand.

Football Federation Australia boss John O'Neill confirmed the move yesterday, which would see the Oceania Football Confederation bid for the event with Australia as hosts and some games in New Zealand.

"In 2006 the cup is in Europe, in 2010 it's Africa, 2014 will be South America, and in 2018 it's our turn," said O'Neill, who is set for further discussions on the issue at the Fifa congress in Morocco this weekend.

"They [the OFC] are prepared to put us up as hosts, with some matches to be in New Zealand."

Fifa boss Sepp Blatter is believed to be open to the prospect of Oceania hosting a World Cup.

O'Neill can at least point to his credentials as the former chief executive of the Australian Rugby Union, as he prepares to mount Australia's bid for one of the globe's biggest events.

In that role, he was the key figure in Australia successfully bidding for and hosting the 2003 rugby World Cup.

Meanwhile, Australia booked a spot in the soccer cup qualifiers yesterday with a 2-1 win over the Solomon Islands in Honiara.

Australia's hard-fought victory in the second leg gave them a 9-1 aggregate win and secured them a berth in November's playoff against a South American side, probably Uruguay, Colombia or Chile.