Korea Expected to Vie With 3 Nations for 2022 World Cup
By Na Jeong-ju
Korea Times Correspondent
ZURICH ― The 2018 FIFA World Cup is expected to be held in Europe, with the next tournament in 2022 taking place in a non-European country, a source from the world's football governing body said Wednesday.
"FIFA appears to have reached an agreement regarding where the 2018 and 2022 tournaments should be held," the source said on condition of anonymity. "There is a common understanding among members of the FIFA Executive Committee that the 2018 games should be held in Europe."
That means South Korea, which is bidding for the 2022 finals, will likely compete with the United States, Australia, Japan, Qatar and Indonesia.
Candidates have applied for either or both of the 2018 and 2022 events, but the 2022 hosts will not be chosen from the same continent as the 2018 hosts.
Eight individual nations are bidding for the finals: Australia, England, Indonesia, Japan, Qatar, Russia, South Korea and the United States. Belgium has also teamed up with the Netherlands, and Portugal with Spain, to co-host the tournament.
Indonesia, South Korea and Qatar are bidding for the 2022 event only.
The 24-member executive committee plans to announce both successful candidates in December.
FIFA President Sepp Blatter has met with the heads of state of competing countries to evaluate their plans and visions for the development of football.
His latest guest was South Korean President Lee Myung-bak, who visited the FIFA headquarters here as part of a three-day trip to Switzerland.
Lee asked for Blatter's support for Korea's bid, explaining how well the country is prepared to host the tournament, Cheong Wa Dae said in a press release.
Blatter has so far met with about a half of the leaders of bidding nations and plans to meet the remaining half soon, FIFA officials said.