Oct 11 (Reuters) – Indonesia is in talks with Australia about the possibility of jointly bidding to host the 2034 World Cup alongside Malaysia and Singapore, the president of the country’s soccer federation (PSSI) said on Wednesday. .
Last week, world soccer governing body FIFA called on member associations in Asia and Oceania to bid for the rights to the 2034 edition.
“We are in discussions with Australia (about a bid),” PSSI chairman Eric Tohir said, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
“When I visited Malaysia and Singapore, both countries expressed interest in joining Indonesia and Australia.”
Asked for comment on the possibility of a joint bid, Football Australia told Reuters in a statement last week that it was “considering the possibility of bidding for the 2029 FIFA Club World Cup and/or the 2034 FIFA World Cup”. was quoted.
PSSI did not respond to Reuters’ request for comment.
FIFA has called on Asia and Oceania to bid for the 2034 World Cup after Spain, Morocco and Portugal announced they would host the 2030 World Cup, with Uruguay, Paraguay and Argentina hosting the opening matches.
Saudi Arabia quickly announced its intention to bid for hosting rights, and FIFA has set a deadline of October 31 for other interested parties to make their intentions clear.
Tohir said it may be too early for the World Cup to return to the Middle East, especially since Qatar hosted the 2022 tournament.
“We’re pretty strong,” he said. “I think FIFA will understand that last year Qatar was the host country in the Middle East. Japan and South Korea were also hosts. I’m sure FIFA will try other countries as well.”
“If we team up with Australia, Malaysia and Singapore, we have a better chance of winning.”
The 48-team 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Reporting by Michael Church; Editing by Peter Rutherford
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