ZURICH, Switzerland (AP) — FIFA voted Monday to scrap its continental rotation policy for the World Cup, a decision that throws the race for the 2018 tournament wide open and could leave North America out in the cold.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said the executive committee decided to implement the new policy immediately after rejecting a proposal from CONCACAF which would have ensured that the North American region would host the 2018 competition.
"This proposal was beaten easily," Blatter said.
U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati said it was the turn of CONCACAF in 2018.
"While we think it would have been more appropriate to finish the rotation before ending it … FIFA’s decision does not change our own commitment to try to bring the World Cup back to the United States," Gulati said in a statement. "I believe that a U.S. bid will be very competitive."
CONCACAF general secretary Chuck Blazer said he was disappointed by the decision.
"If you go back to 2002, and look at the recent history of rotation … it’s been Asia, Europe, Africa and with 2014 going to South America," Blazer said. "I thought in all logic and fairness the next cycle should be CONCACAF. Regrettably, that did not carry the day."
South Korea and Japan hosted the 2002 World Cup and Germany was the host in 2006. South Africa has already been awarded the 2010 tournament and FIFA is expected to announce Brazil — the only candidate — as the host for 2014 on Tuesday.
"Something was missing," said Blatter of the 2014 bid, upset that more South American countries did not bid. "The competition was lacking, and football is competition."
Blatter indicated there has been widespread interest in hosting the 2018 World Cup.
"Isn’t it nice? We have not yet played 2010, we have not yet awarded 2014, yet we have all this interest in 2018," Blatter said, noting that he recently met with British Prime Minister Gordon Brown about England’s bid.
China, Australia, Mexico, the United States, Russia and Spain have also expressed interest. The Netherlands and Belgium will make a joint bid to host the event..
To avoid conflicts of interest between FIFA’s executive committee members and countries bidding for 2018, Blatter said Sebastian Coe, the new chairman of FIFA’s ethics committee, would oversee the whole process. Coe is also the organizing committee chairman for the 2012 London Olympics.
Countries belonging to the African and South American confederations will not be eligible to host the 2018 tournament because South Africa and Brazil will have hosted the two previous final tournaments.
World soccer’s governing body has been under heavy pressure to open up the 2018 bidding to allow countries outside North and Central America and the Caribbean to host the tournament.
"I am delighted that FIFA have opened the door for the World Cup to come back to England," Brown said Monday in a statement. "By 2018, it will be 52 years since England hosted the World Cup. The nation which gave football to the world deserves to have the greatest tournament back on these shores."
Associated Press writer Brian Trusdell in New York contributed to this report.