After World Cup title, Spain looks to 2018 bid

By foxsports
Published

Now that Spain has its first World Cup title, the country's soccer authorities are focusing on winning the right to host another World Cup.

Secretary of state for sport Jaime Lissavetzy says the joint bid with neighboring Portugal to host either the 2018 or 2022 event is Spain's ''next very difficult challenge.''

Lissavetzy says the World Cup victory in South Africa, when Spain defeated the Netherlands 1-0 in the final, showed Spain is ''an international power'' in sports.

However, he said in a speech to the Spanish Football Federation on Tuesday the bid faces ''awesome rivals.''

Spain, which is also European champion, hosted the 1982 World Cup.

FIFA will announce the hosts in December.