To see fans tears and heartbreak in Sydney...

Australia surprisingly gained just one vote and were eliminated in the first round of voting with Qatar sealing the deal in the final round with 14 votes to the United States' eight.

Football Federation Australia chairman Frank Lowy was gutted with the decision but reaffirmed his commitment to drive the development and growth of football in Australia.

"I am hugely disappointed, both personally and for all Australians that we have missed out this time," Lowy said.

"What I can say is my resolve to grow football in our country is as strong now as the day I first became chairman."

"We are extremely proud at how we conducted ourselves in the bidding process and of the great technical aspects of our bid."

"Ultimately we did not have enough votes to bring the competition home. I am very proud of the efforts of my team, of Government and of all Australians who have supported our cause."

"We have made many friends across the world over the past two years and we should use this experience to our advantage. Australian football is firmly on the map and is talked about positively around the world."

"I would like to congratulate Qatar for running an impressive campaign and their victory is a great boost for the Asian region."

FFA chief executive Ben Buckley echoed Lowy's thoughts and said the team could not have produced a better bid over an extensive campaign.

"This may be a difficult thing to take but I am very proud of our team and everybody who worked so hard to bring the World Cup to Australia," Buckley said.

"We know we had a technically excellent bid and it is clear that Australia was thought of in a good way by the global football community."

"Ultimately, our competitors were able to secure more votes than us. When we look back on this experience, I do not feel that our team or Australia could have done any more."

Qantas Socceroos Captain Lucas Neil, who was part of the delegation in Zurich, said he was proud of the bidding team and the way they conducted themselves.

“This is hard to take but as a player I am now even more determined to bring a smile back to our faces.

“We can do this in one simple way, going to Qatar in January for the AFC Asian Cup and returning home as Champions.

“Australians are known as fighters and we will pick ourselves up and look at the positives and there are plenty of those around football in Australia right now.”

To see fans tears and heartbreak in Sydney...