The host nation for the 2010 World Cup finals to be staged in Africa for the first time will be announced on May 15th next year in Zurich, FIFA announced today.
Five countries are bidding to stage the finals: Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Africa and Tunisia. Nigeria has already withdrawn its candidature.
FIFA's executive committee also decided "as a matter of principle" that only one nation will in future be allowed to host a World Cup, ruling out the concept of co-hosting for the forseeable future.
A plan by Tunisia and Libya to submit a joint bid was not accepted by FIFA.