Football Federation Australia will push ahead with their ambitious attempt to host the 2018 World Cup despite a strong indication from FIFA boss Sepp Blatter that the bid is doomed.
Blatter has advised Australia its chances of hosting a World Cup would be much greater in 2022 when the tournament will be due to head back to the southern hemisphere.
He added that competition to host the 2022 World Cup may not be as fierce as the fight to win the 2018 event, which is expected to attract bids from 10 countries.
The United States, Mexico, England, Spain, Qatar, China, Russia, Japan and a joint Holland-Belgium bid are also in the race to stage the 2018 World Cup, with a European country strongly tipped to succeed.
FIFA will ask all interested countries to lobby for both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments before announcing the successful candidates simultaneously in 2011.
Despite Blatter's strong suggestion it look at 2022, the FFA still have their sights set on 2018, with chief executive Ben Buckley declaring on Friday: "I don't accept that we're out of the race.
"We understand there will be competition from countries within Europe and it will be hotly contested, but our 100% dedication and focus will be towards 2018.
"We believe we can put together a highly-credentialed bid forward for 2018 and that's where our focus will be."
Blatter, though, indicated FIFA would be highly unlikely to award the World Cup to another southern hemisphere nation, with South Africa (2010) and Brazil (2014) to host the next two tournaments.
"It would be a logical approach for the 2018 competition to go back (to the northern hemisphere)," he said at the completion of FIFA's annual congress in Sydney on Friday.
"They (Australia) are advocating for 2018 but 2018 will be very difficult after having been already in the southern hemisphere and to be far away.
"But in 2022, it's open."
Explaining the decision to make a dual announcement on the 2018 and 2022 hosts, Blatter said: "We can offer two competitions for eight years and the economic result for sponsors would be better."
"You would also have inside FIFA some relief."
Meanwhile, the FFA will fast-track plans for a promotion-and-relegation system in the fledgling A-League after pressure from FIFA.
Buckley has given an undertaking that his organisation will present their plans for a two-tier competition to the Asian Football Confederation by October this year.
FIFA have demanded the promotion-relegation system be used in all leagues around the world, making amendment to the laws to ensure clubs are promoted via on-field achievements and not for monetary reasons.
"We said to the AFC we would get back to them by October this year as to what our plan is via promotion-relegation," said Buckley.
"They understand our situation and they've accepted that we will have a plan in place by October this year and that will be for an implementation for a promotion-relegation system, not at this point in time but for some years to come.
"It's something that will be assessed over time. After we've got through the next phase of expansion then we'll be looking to a promotion and relegation system."
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