FIFA supremo Sepp Blatter appeared to have thrown his weight behind Qatar's bid to host the tournament there when he said yesterday that the Arab world deserved to host a World Cup.

He added: "Qatar has a good chance to become the first country from the region to host it."

But Australia are refusing to give up hope in their bid.

Lowy today insisted Blatter's comments were merely a reflection of the scale of the job facing the Come Pay bid - but nothing was impossible.

"It's the biggest sporting event on earth, and his comments tell us what we already knew - that we are up against an incredibly tough field and that every competitor has a strong case to make," said Lowy.

"It reinforces the importance of lodging the best bid we can, and the need for the nation to get behind the bid.

"If we remain focused and continue to sell Australia's strong points - our track record with big events, being part of the fast-growing Asian region, and football's growing popularity here - then I am confident we will succeed.

"We don't take the competition lightly, every nation has strong credentials, but I genuinely believe Australia is in a position to make the strongest bid."