(Reuters) Although the 65-year-old Swiss said he was not "officially" launching his campaign for a second four-year term and would not do so until two months before the next FIFA Congress in May, he told delegates at the Football Expo trade fair that he was ready to stand after being asked to do so by more than 100 of FIFA's 204 member associations.
The vote will be held during the May 28-29 Congress in Seoul.
There is almost no doubt at all that Blatter will be elected president again. With five months to go before the election there are no other candidates willing to declare against him.
"I will go on for as long as they want me," he said.
Blatter also said publicly for the first time that the World Cup finals in 2010 would definitely be staged in Africa. Although that has been widely understood for almost a year, this was the first time the FIFA president had said so explicitly.
"Rotation of the World Cup finals around the confederations will start with the 2010 finals in Africa when the African Football Confederation will have access to the highest level of competition organised by FIFA."
He added that South Africa and Morocco, who both bid to stage the 2006 finals, would be strong candidates to host the tournament and that Egypt had also expressed an interest in doing so.
Blatter said that while the last 12 months had proved to be difficult ones for FIFA, he never thought about standing down as president and had no doubts about standing for re-election.
Sepp Blatter launched his campaign to be re-elected as FIFA president with a promise to Africa that the continent would definitely stage the World Cup finals in 2010.
