Hearts legend says FIFA would be mad not to award Australia the World Cup in 2022

The Greatest Show on Earth no longer alternates between Europe and South America. In recent years it has been held in North America, Asia and now Africa. It is only a matter of time before it visits Australia. As one of the world's greatest sporting countries, it is tailor-made to put on a World Cup and is strongly fancied to host the competition in 2022 having withdrawn from bidding for 2018.

To Australians, sport is everything – from cricket to rugby to Aussie rules to soccer.

Their national football team had a very creditable World Cup in South Africa.

A 4-0 mauling by England's conquerors Germany proved costly as, despite a fine 1-1 draw with quarter-finalists Ghana and a 2-1 win over Serbia, they failed to progress from Group D.

But their performances won't have done anything to dampen the enthusiasm for the game Down Under.

Venues such as the 100,000-capacity Melbourne Cricket Ground, Sydney's 83,500-capacity Stadium Australia and the Brisbane Stadium, which holds 52,500, would thrive playing host to the likes of Brazil, Spain, Germany and Argentina.

The Australian infrastructure regarding hospitality and transport would cope sufficiently with the influx of foreign football fans, who would be welcomed by some of the friendliest people on earth.

To anyone who has played there, taking the World Cup Down Under is a no brainer. "I think it will happen and I don't think it will be far away," said Dave McPherson, the former Hearts defender who played with the now-defunct Carlton in Australia's National Soccer League. "It could be Australia and New Zealand, and you could even incorporate Singapore. It's easier to fly from Singapore to Perth than it is from Perth to Sydney, so there's no doubt that will happen at some point.

"Recalling the stadiums I played in – and remember you also have the cricket grounds which can be adapted for football purposes – then they are ready for something like this. I like to think we have some of the best stadiums in the world for atmosphere in Scotland, but some of the places in Australia are second to none.

"They take their sport very, very seriously. Melbourne is regarded as the sporting capital of the world, that's their attitude. I want to see us with that outlook. In Scotland, we have two redeveloped stadiums in Murrayfield and Hampden when you could have had one and saved a lot of hassle. The internal politics in Scotland are absolutely ridiculous.

"In Australia, all sports get behind each other at the top level because they know it's going to profile their country in general and therefore help the other sports develop. The climate helps over there as the kids are involved in every sport going simply because the weather is so good."

In October 2007, FIFA ended its continental rotation policy for the World Cup. Instead, the previous two tournament host confederations are ineligible, leaving Africa ineligible for 2018 and South America ineligible for both 2018 and 2022 since the 2014 competition will be in Brazil.

Word is the 2018 World Cup will be staged in Europe, leaving Australasia, as it is known, favourite for 2022.

Joint bids from Belgium and Holland, plus Spain and Portugal accompany those from England, Japan, Russia and the USA to host the 2018 or 2022 FIFA World Cup.

Australia, Japan, South Korea and Qatar have restricted their bids to the 2022 edition. Actress Nicole Kidman, actor Hugh Jackman and sportsmen Ian Thorpe and Mark Webber have agreed to act as ambassadors for Australia's bid, with the decision on both tournaments due on 2 December this year.

Perhaps the largest obstacle to World Cup 2022 taking place in Australia is time difference. The city of Perth is six hours ahead of central European time, Adelaide is seven-and-a-half hours ahead, Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Canberra eight hours ahead, Auckland ten hours ahead.

Kick-offs and fixture schedules would therefore require careful planning to ensure a maximum TV audience in Europe and guarantee the kind of financial income which makes the World Cup such an lucrative prospect. But McPherson, a strong advocate of summer football here, believes change is something everyone should be more open to.

"Things change and one of the biggest problems we have in Scotland is we are so traditional," he continued. "We keep going on about it being traditional to play derby matches on New Year's Day.

"I've been to Old Firm games in August and the atmosphere was unbelievable.

"With games like Hibs-Hearts and Rangers-Celtic, it doesn't matter when you play them. If there are good teams on the park you will get a good crowd and a fantastic atmosphere. So let's get tradition out the window. Countries like Australia are overtaking us, that's the sad thing.

"We should be ahead of them and they should be looking up to us to try and catch up. But we've stood still over the last ten or fifteen years so these countries have every right to host a World Cup because they are a bit more forward-thinking.

"They're bringing kids through and developing, whereas we're stuck in the eighties.

"When I was out in Australia they were ahead of the game in terms of sports science.

"Now we're going down that route but it's ten years behind. It's not just sport science, it's overall development."

The Australian Institute of Sport is recognised around the world for producing top sportsmen and sportswomen although, according to McPherson, its influence comes second to the country's unshakeable inner belief that they will grow to succeed in any chosen sport. "All the top young Australian players want to leave their native league but they all want to play for their country. They have a real hunger to represent Australia and they have a belief in themselves that they are the best. We've got to develop that attitude and believe we are stronger and I think that comes from the top.

"If you get the top of the game right regarding administration, doing things properly and planning ahead, then the kids will have a better belief in it." When World Cup 2010 ends in South Africa, it will be remembered as much for the locals and their trumpet-like instruments as the colour and flair on the football field. If the competition visits Australia in 12 years' time, expect more of the same passion, intertwined with a touch of grit and efficiency which could put Australia on the world footballing map forever.

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