Twelve Nations Enter World Cup Race

Twelve nations have bid for the right to host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups as FIFA’s deadline for the submission of interests in bidding for the flagship football tournament hits.

Egypt and South Korea were the last nations to apply for the right to host the tournament with the former bidding only for the 2022 competition.

FIFA, which is expected to confirm the full list later today, has also received individual bids from Australia, Indonesia, Japan, Qatar, Mexico, the United States, England and Russia.

There are also joint applications, unfavoured by Fifa president Sepp Blatter, from Netherlands and Belgium, and Spain and Portugal.

FIFA said in December that the winning bids for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups would be announced at the same time in December 2010.

Should a 2018 bid fail it now means countries can enter the 2022 vote straight after, though FIFA’s tournament rotation policy prevents a nation from hosting the World Cup if either of the previous two tournaments were held on the same continent.

As such, should another European nation win the right to host the 2018 World Cup, England could not bid for 2022.

South American countries may not bid for either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups as Brazil will host the 2014 tournament.

Full details of the tendering process will be sent to the potential host nations by 16th February, with final documents for each bid to be submitted by May 2010.