"We intend to take the first step soon and ask FIFA for the all necessary documents to apply to host the 2018 World Cup," said Vitaly Mutko, who is also the president of the Russian Football Union.
FIFA began accepting applications for hosting 2018 and 2022 World Cups on January 15. The soccer authorities in a country interested in bidding for a World Cup must officially inform FIFA of their intention to bid before February 2, submit their application by March 16 and sign a bidding agreement by December 11.
Mutko said that he would not be giving detailed comments as "the issue is very complicated and demands a big investment. But we will definitely make the first step of submitting an application."
Media reports put Australia, England, Qatar, China, Mexico and the United States among the possible bidders for the World Cups.
The 2010 and 2014 World Cups will be held in South Africa and Brazil respectively. The hosting countries of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be announced in December 2010.
