ZURICH, Switzerland (AP):

THE CONTEST to win hosting rights for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups starts today when FIFA's executive committee meets to set a timetable for candidates bidding to stage the biggest sporting event on the planet.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter has said he wanted the governing body to choose hosts for both editions in three years' time.

The race will be fiercely contested with a line-up of candidates including Australia, China, England, Russia and the United States (US).

Blatter has already dropped hints about FIFA's thinking.

Strongly considered

With the 2010 tournament being played in South Africa and the 2014 event in Brazil, a Northern Hemisphere venue is preferred for 2018 and European countries expect to be strongly considered.

Blatter suggested a few months ago that the 2022 World Cup would "perhaps be more preferable" for Australia to target.

One influential FIFA power broker also said he wanted the US - which hosted in 1994 - to aim for the 2022 tournament.

Jack Warner is president of the CONCACAF federation, which covers North and Central America and the Caribbean, but he has stated his support for England in 2018 and then the US four years later.

The 2010 World Cup will earn FIFA US$3.2 billion (€2.5 billion) in television and marketing revenue.

Candidates

Host countries are chosen by the 25-member FIFA executive, and other expected candidates include Japan, Mexico, a combined Netherlands-Belgium bid, Qatar and Spain.

Today's meeting is also expected to clarify the rules on releasing players for the Olympics.

The build-up to the tournament at the Beijing Games in August was overshadowed by a courtroom battle between FIFA and three European clubs who tried to stop their players from attending.

FC Barcelona had Lionel Messi called up by Argentina, while Brazil selected two players - Schalke's Rafinha and Diego of Werder Bremen - from Germany.