Here's a quick guide to the countries involved in the race to host the world's biggest sporting event.
The Race for 2018
After dropping out of the 2018 race, Australia focused solely on 2022. This left England, Russia and the two joint bids of Spain/Portugal and Belgium/Netherlands to fight it out for 2018.
England , who hosted the cup in 1996, look to be the front-runners, with newly engaged Prince Willam, megastar David Beckham and Prime Minister David Cameron uniting as a campaign force.
Not so favoured, is Russia, who have a slow and outdated transport network, and modest football success both home and abroad. As for the list of top-notch stadiums needed to secure the rights, only the 80, 000 seat Luzhniki, built in 1956, meets international standards.
News that makes sense
Your trusted source for staying up-to-date with the world around you. Get free daily news updates and analysis, straight to your inbox.
Spain, who hosted in 1982, join forces with Portugal and seem to be regarded as low-risk due to the joint venture's rich footballing history, ready infrastructure and transport links and availability of accommodation.
The final rival is the second joint bid of the Dutch and Belgian nations who seek the votes of other small countries. Organisers have vowed to put two million bikes at the disposal of fans on top of free travel to and from game venues through the dense network of rail and road lines crossing the nations.
The race for 2022
Five countries are still in the running for 2022; Australia, Japan, Qatar, South Korea and the United States.
FFA boss Frank Lowy, the Australian Governor-General and the Federal Minister for Sport, Mark Arbib, have campaigned tirelessly to secure the event for the only continent yet to host the spectacle, urging one and all to 'Come Play' in 2022.
Japan hope top host twenty years on from their successful staging of the event with South Korea. They are counting on experience and infrastructure to influence delegates, but lack of government support could be their downfall.
The oil rich nation of Qatar plans to spend US $42.9 billion on infrastructure and another four billion to build nine stadiums.
The World Game: Profile of Qatar
South Korea boast world class venues, easy transportation and high-tech facilities. Some believe it could bring unity to the north and south Korean people.
Finally, the United States have dozens of stadiums, state-of-the-art infrastructure, hotels aplenty and transportation in abundance. The 1994 hosts set an attendance record that still stands, and the sport has seen continuous growth in the country since then.
