The soccer federations of Portugal and Spain yesterday signed a document formalizing the intention of the two Iberian countries to jointly host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup finals.

The winning bid will be announced in December 2010. European champions Spain and Portugal declared their interest in hosting the tournament after FIFA said it would welcome bids for both the 2018 and 2022 World Cups. FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said Spain, alone or with Portugal, were strong candidates to be hosts in 2018, as were England and the Netherlands with Belgium. Australia, China, Mexico and Russia have also expressed interest.

(Shanghai Daily January 20, 2009)