The painful memory of the failed 2022 World Cup bid may still linger but not enough to deter Football Federation Australia, which has declared its intention to lead a joint south-east Asian bid to host the 2034 tournament.

An ambitious plan for Australia to co-host the tournament with Indonesia is already underway with the two countries in the preliminary stages of forming a joint bid that will be submitted to FIFA.

Joint bid: Australia and Indonesia have discussed throwing their hats in the ring for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. Credit:MARTIN MEISSNER

“FFA is in very early discussions with the Indonesian Football Association about a joint bid for the 2034 FIFA World Cup. We welcome the opportunity to explore this further with other football associations in the region," FFA chief executive David Gallop said. "A FIFA World Cup in south-east Asia would be a wonderful event in a populous and passionate part of the football globe."

The talks have centred around Australia and Indonesia co-hosting the tournament but it's understood there is a strong chance a third south-east Asian nation could form part of the bid. FFA and PSSI, the Indonesian football governing body, unveiled their plans to bring the 2034 tournament to the region at last week's ASEAN Football Federation summit in Laos. It gathered considerable political support, according to sources close to the discussions.