The AFF, which represents the Association of Southeast Asian Nations, is hoping that the tournament could be spread across a number of countries to ease the financial burden on any individual territory. Although FIFA is thought to favour bids from individual countries rather than joint bids, Argentina and Uruguay have already registered an interest in linking up to stage the centenary World Cup in 2030.
The AFF’s 11 nations have agreed to create a committee to research and promote their bid, according to Malaysian Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Anifah Aman.
“It will be a unifying factor for the ASEAN community if we could host the World Cup,” he told the Bernama news agency after a meeting of the region’s politicians.
Singapore Foreign Minister George Yeo told the Today newspaper: “We thought if we made a joint bid, if we share facilities, then it's a bearable cost. ASEAN, as a whole, will be a big country like Brazil or the United States and if they can host it so can we.”
