CANBERRA: Australia, seven years after the debacle of their World Cup bid, is making a new attempt to win favour with FIFA, in this case for the 2023 Women’s World Cup finals

In December 2010 Australia’s bid to host the senior World Cup in 2022 received only a derisory single vote, prompting major controversy over not only the world federation’s entire process but also the way in which the FFA bid had been financed and run.

However the Australian government, which is supporting the bid, has set it has been reassured by the change of guard and introductioon of procedural reforms in Zurich.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has confirmed that his government will invest A$1m (£597,140) initially with another A$4m available if the bid appears likely to be successful.

He said: “It’s a great initiative. It’s a great goal. And I’m excited to announce that the government will be backing the FFA’s bid for Australia to host the 2023 Women’s World Cup.

“The Matildas are leaders on the international stage and they are wonderful role models in our community — wouldn’t it be fantastic to have the Matildas contesting a women’s World Cup on home soil, here in Australia?

“We set the bar, the highest level, in hosting great global sporting events. A women’s World Cup hosted in our back yard would inspire a new generation of women and girls right across Australia.”

The Matildas are currently ranked eighth in the world and reached the World Cup quarter-finals for the third successive tournament in Canada in 2015.

Australia faces bidding competition from Colombia, Japan, New Zealand and Thailand but hopes that a national organisational track record including the 2000 Sydney Olympics, 2003 Rugby World Cup, 2015 AFC Asian Cup, as well as the co-hosted 2015 cricket World Cup will work to bidding advantage.

The government paid out A$46.5 million to back a Football Federation Australia bid to host the 2022 men’s World Cup, which won just a solitary vote in a ballot that resulted in Qatar being handed the tournament.

Canada hosted the 2015 Women’s World Cup with 2019 being staged in France.

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