The Victorian government has confirmed that it has put forward a submission to Football Federation Australia to include the stadium in the plans for hosting the world's biggest sporting event.

Part of the submission proposes the regional stadium being expanded to 44,000 capacity, making it eligible under FIFA regulations to host matches during the tournament.

While the state government, which has already spent a substantial amount of money on the stadium over the past 10 years, would not make a commitment to fund the future development of the ground, Victorian premier John Brumbysaid Skilled Stadium would offer an excellent second Victorian World Cup stadium to the MCG.

The close proximity of the stadium to many of Victoria's major tourist attractions, especially the Great Ocean Road, gives it a strong argument to be included in FFA's bid proposal, according to Premier Brumby.

While any renovation of the ground into a rectangular format would probably mean Geelong Football Club would be unable to play on it for at least the season, the tenant club is said to support the proposal and it would leave it with much-improved facilities.

The proposal comes in the wake of Etihad Stadium boss Ian Collins admitting last month that he would be forced to honour a commitment to the AFL, meaning no world Cup matches would be able to be held at his venue in either 2018 or 2022.

Skilled Stadium, which has been the home of the Geelong Football Club since 1941,has previously hosted pre-season A-League games.

Australia's bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup will be decided at a meeting of the FIFA executive in May.