Sydney, June 21:

Australia’s football boss Frank Lowy said Australia will convince FIFA to bring the 2018 World Cup down under, reports said today.

Lowy’s Football Federation Australia is pressing ahead with Australia’s bid to organise the fooball showpiece, despite comments from FIFA president Sepp Blatter that Europe would likely host the 2018 tournament.

Lowy, a billionaire property developer, said the benefits for Australia in hosting the World Cup would be incalculable and could redefine how the country is viewed by the world. “Let’s be clear about this: this is not a dry run,” Australia’s second-richest man told The Daily Telegraph.