Until now, the annual event, which features club champions from each confederation, has been held in Japan.

The UAE hosted the 2003 FIFA Youth World Championship and the 2007 Gulf Cup.

UAE FA president Mohammed Khalfan al Rumaithi is confident of success.

"We have sufficient experience of hosting events of this kind," he said in The National.

"The most important was the FIFA World Youth Cup in 2003, which according to the participants and observers was a great success in more than just organisational terms."

"We hope the world of football will honour us again by allowing us to host this unique sporting event. Football is undisputably the number one sport in the UAE."