Football Federation Australia, after announcing its intention to bid last month, confirmed Monday it had lodged its formal bid with world governing body FIFA. The deadline was Monday.

On the weekend, Indonesia and South Korea submitted their formal bids. The other countries that announced intentions to bid were Japan, England, Russia, Qatar, Mexico and the United States.

The FIFA executive will vote on both hosts in December 2010. South Africa will host next year's World Cup and Brazil will host in 2014.

Five of the bidders have previously staged a World Cup - England in 1966; Mexico in 1970 and 1986; the United States in 1994; and South Korea and Japan as co-hosts in 2002.

Football Federation Australia spokesperson Bonita Mersiades told The Associated Press on Monday that FFA chairman Frank Lowy had personally delivered the bid to FIFA head Sepp Blatter in Zurich on Sunday.

She said while Australia will not fine-tune its choice of stadium locations until the end of this year, the cities being considered to host matches are Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Townsville, Gold Coast, Newcastle, Canberra, Adelaide, Perth, and the island state of Tasmania.

'We have a demonstrable track record in staging major sporting events,' Ms Mersiades said. 'A World Cup event here would be trouble-free. And we have a country that people want to come and see.'

Australia has twice hosted the rugby World Cup and staged the Olympics in Melbourne in 1956 and Sydney in 2000.

In December, the Australian government said it would commit A$30 million (S$30.35 million) to landing the World Cup. -- AP