South Africa have joined the race to stage football's Confederations Cup, a tournament that brings together the champions of all Fifa's regions as well as world champions Brazil.
The cup, which is sometimes described as a mini-World Cup, is due to be staged in December next year. The deadline for bidding is November 17 this year.
Chief executive of the South African Football Association Danny Jordaan said he would be concentrating on bidding for the Confederations Cup. Jordaan was a co-ordinator at the recent World Cup in Japan.
The teams which will be represented at next year's cup are Brazil (World Cup champions), France (defending champions and the Euro 2000 champions), Italy (runners-up in Euro 2000), Japan (Asian champions), Australia (Oceania), Argentina (South America), Mexico (Concacaf) and Cameroon (African champions). South Africa would play if they were to be the hosts.
Jordaan said South Africa would still bid for the 2010 World Cup and that, if the country were awarded the Confederations Cup, it would be "a test run for the 2010 World Cup".
Fifa executive member Ismail Bhamjee, president of the Botswana Football Association, said the Confederation of African Football would give South Africa their full support as they would be the only country in Africa bidding for the Confederations Cup.
Jordaan also said Safa had held talks with Australian soccer officials at the World Cup.
According to Jordaan, the chairman of Soccer Australia Ian Knop is keen to arrange a series of matches between Bafana Bafana and the national Australian team, the Socceroos.
"We have Tests between our countries in cricket and rugby and I do not see why we cannot do the same in soccer," Knop told Jordaan.
Jordaan said the idea would be discussed at Safa executive level.