Southeast Asia to launch joint bid to host 2034 World Cup - Thai PM

ASEAN leaders shake hands on stage during the opening ceremony of the 34th ASEAN Summit at the Athenee Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, June 23, 2019. Seen here are Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha, chairman of 34th ASEAN Summit, Singapore's Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Philippines President Rodrigo Duterte, Brunei's Sultan Hassanal Bolkiah, Cambodia's Prime Minister Hun Sen, Indonesian President Joko Widodo, Laos Prime Minister Thongloun Sisoulith, Malaysia's Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad, Myanmar's State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi, and Vietnam's Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc. REUTERS/Athit Perawongmetha

BANGKOK (Reuters) - Southeast Asian countries will jointly bid to host the World Cup in 2034, Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha said on Sunday, after meetings between the region's leaders in Bangkok.

Asia has held the quadrennial showpiece of international soccer only once when Japan and South Korea were joint hosts in 2002 and Qatar will bring it back to the continent in 2022.