Sydney - Australia on Wednesday urged Asian nations to get behind its bid to host either the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.

Asia's booming economies would sway the governing body FIFA to pick a host in this region, Football Federation Australia (FFA) chairman Frank Lowy said.

"We are the back yard or front yard for Asia, we know how to stage big events and the audience that is going to watch us - I think it's two-thirds of the world audience that is going to watch us - and that of course can be translated into dollars and cents," Lowy told a business lunch in Melbourne.

In December 2010, FIFA will select a bidder from among England, Japan, Mexico, Indonesia, Qatar, Russia, the United States and joint offers from Belgium and Holland and Spain and Portugal.

The billionaire shopping mall owner said that now Australia had joined the Asian Football Confederation it deserved to host the event.

"We are able to show that bringing the game to Australia and having the Asian continent with us at the same time zone will benefit not only Australia, not only Asia, but the whole football world," Lowy said.

"Asian development in sport is such that if the World Cup comes to this part of the world then I think they will be able to cash in and sort of monopolize with football, because the other sports haven't taken off yet." (dpa)