Although Morocco and South Afrcia are widely considered as the neck-and-neck favourites to win the vote with Libya and Tunisia the outsiders, Egypt's minister for Youth and Sports Ali el din Hilal says Egypt has the experience and popular support to host the finals.

He added too that most of Egypt's stadiums would be ready by 2006 for the African Nations Cup to be held in the Arab state.

"With the exception of possibly two members of FIFA who have already made their positions known, most of them say: 'we will keep our final decision until May 14 when we will review the situation'," Hilal told Reuters in an interview.

Michel Platini of France and Angel Maria Villar Llona of Spain have publicly backed four-time bidder Morocco, but the other 22 members of FIFA's executive have, in the main, kept their cards more firmly to their chests.

But Hilal said the major deciding issue was the reports of the inspection teams.

"One major factor which has not been released yet is the reports of the inspection group. Some people say we have a guarantee of six...seven votes. I think it's all part of the psychological warfare. No one can be guaranteeing anything," he said.

He said when Egypt hosted the under-17 Junior World Cup in 1997, the event enjoyed the largest attendances in its history, with about 75,000 fans packed into the Cairo stadium for the opening and closing matches.

In Egypt, the Arab world's most populous nation with more than 70 million people, football has a huge following with most fans supporting not just a local team but also at least one other team from the English premier league or elsewhere in Europe.

Hilal said FIFA would be looking at security and stability as major concerns in its decision where to hold the World Cup.

"You are hosting some 2.5 to three million visitors. You cannot have soldiers on the streets everywhere, isolating the public and not allowing the public to join in," Hilal said.

Egypt is seen as a haven of stability and security in a region stricken with violence with the U.S.-led war in Iraq and growing tensions in Israel and the Palestinian territories.

The minister added Egypt received some six million tourists last year, amply showing its ability to deal with the influx of fans during the competition.

When asked if the jammed streets of the Cairo metropolis could cope with the added traffic, Hilal said the finals would also be staged in seven other cities to alleviate concerns about the capital's already straining streets.

"In our bid we make a number of commitments such as the extension of the metro to the airport," he said.

He added Egypt was the only bidding nation to have two TV satellites, and said this was important as FIFA's main revenues from the World Cup would come from television rights.

Hilal also said Egypt's reputation as a warm and welcoming nation would influence FIFA's decision.

"We say 2010 Egypt is the family World Cup. Egypt will host not just football fans but their families and children."

Egypt were the first African nation to take part in the World Cup finals in 1934 and qualified a second time in 1990.