Rudd has been meeting with officials on the sidelines of the United Nations meeting in New York to secure support for Australia's bid to host the tournament in 2018 or 2022.
 

Rudd and Foreign Affairs Minister Stephen Smith have spent the week lobbying officials from Trinidad & Tobago, Cyprus, South Korea, the United States and Japan in the hope of securing their support.
 

Rudd said: "Look this is a long campaign and it's going to be tough, really tough.
 

"I mean, when I went to FIFA headquarters recently in Switzerland and had explained to me how difficult a race this is going to be for Australia."
 

Rudd said the success of the 2000 Sydney Olympics proved Australia had the capacity to host the event.

He said: "We're Australia.

"We do things well when we put our mind to it.
 

"We did it for the Olympics and did it with a degree of professionalism, which is now widely regarded right around the world nearly a decade after the Sydney Olympics.
 

"If we succeed with the World Cup bid, then we would apply the same disciplines and the same national effort to produce a fantastic World Cup in Australia as well."
 

Australia's Federal Government has contributed A$45 million (£24 million) towards the World Cup bid.
 

Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy said the meetings had boosted his confidence about Australia's chances of winning the rights to the event.

He said: "We are very appreciative of the support of the Prime Minister, the opposition leader and Federal and State Governments for our bid.
 

"The more we have the opportunity to meet with key people in the football world and to talk to them about why Australia would be the best choice for 2018 or 2022, the more confident we become."

Lowy also claimed Australia's record of hosting major sporting events such as the Olympics, Commonwealth Games and Rugby World Cup had "all been dress rehearsals for the big one".

Australia is one of nine bidders for the 2018 World Cup, an event England are the favourites for ahead of other European candidates Russia and joint bids from Belgium and Holland and Spain and Portugal.

Indonesia, Japan, Mexico and the United States are also bidding.

Australia are considered to be among the favourites for the 2022 World Cup, which will be awarded at the same time as the 2018 event by FIFA at a meeting on December 2, 2010.

Qatar and South Korea are also bidding for that event.


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