SKorea bids to host football World Cup

South Korea has submitted an official bid to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cups to football governing body FIFA, according to a Korea Football Association spokesman.

“We’ve sent an official bid to FIFA ahead of the Monday deadline,” spokesman Lee Won-Jae of the KFA told AFP.

Earlier this year FIFA invited countries to express interest, by February 2, in hosting the 2018 or 2022 tournaments and the KFA submitted a preliminary bid.

Australia, China, England, Indonesia, Mexico, Qatar and Japan are also among the countries that expressed their interest.

The hosts for both tournaments will be chosen in December 2010.

FIFA requires a World Cup host to have about 12 stadiums with more than 40,000 seats each, one of them with 80,000 seats.

African countries are precluded from bidding for the 2018 tournament as the next World Cup, in 2010, will be staged in South Africa.

South American countries are ruled out of the bidding for both 2018 and 2022 as Brazil is to host the 2014 event.

The region that provides the host in 2018 will be excluded from consideration for 2022.

South Korea and Japan co-hosted the 2002 World Cup. FIFA says the stadiums and other facilities used for that tournament are in good condition.