ZURICH: China's hopes of hosting the 2030 World Cup got a boost from FIFA.

The governing body proposes a new legal text giving its ruling council power to decide "if circumstances so require" that a continent could skip just one World Cup before hosting again.

It would let China bid to host the 2030 World Cup only eight years after Qatar.

FIFA imposed the two-tournament block last October, barring European members from 2026 World Cup bidding because Russia is hosting in 2018. That favored the North American co-hosting bid.

Now, FIFA wants to amend statutes next week in Bahrain so that "in principle ... the event shall not be awarded to members of the confederations that hosted the two previous editions."

However, it says the "Council may decide otherwise."