Canberra's World Cup hopes lie in FIFA's hands

The Canberra Liberals are pushing for the capital's further involvement in the 2023 World Cup, vowing to negotiate with Football Federation Australia if they win October's territory election.

The FFA and New Zealand Football's proposal includes six training venues in the Canberra region: McKellar Park, Greenway Oval, Deakin Stadium, Gungahlin Enclosed, Seiffert Oval and the AIS.

But the world's best female footballers won't be brought to Canberra Stadium after the ACT government withdrew from the bid, deeming the cost of matches too high.

ACT Chief Minister Andrew Barr said the FFA wanted more than $1 million per game and could not guarantee a Matildas fixture.

The Canberra Liberals wrote to the FFA this week, urging the governing body to reconsider Canberra as a hosting city for the third most-watched sporting event in the world.

But the decision is now subject to FIFA's discretion, with preference given to 13 stadiums and 12 cities already part of Australia and New Zealand's proposal.

Opposition Leader Alistair Coe is keen to enter negotiations with FFA as a starting point to bring the World Cup to Canberra, saying it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city.

"Given we're three years away from the tournament, we hope there's still opportunities and the Canberra Liberals will put in a competitive bid if we're given that opportunity in October," Coe said.

"It's so important for this city but particularly for women's sport that we make the most of these opportunities.

"I don't think it's too late. Obviously there's a lot of water to go under the bridge, it will be difficult but we're ambitious.

"We're ambitious for this city and want to have the premier women's sporting event in the nation's capital. We'll do everything we can to put forward a competitive bid for the World Cup."

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It's understood the FFA offered the government up to six matches, making the total cost more than $6 million.

It would have been among the most expensive events run in the ACT, but Coe says it's worth every penny.

"ACT Labor do not think that this women's sport is worth the money, but the ACT Liberals disagree," Coe said.

"We want to have this premier event in Canberra, we think we owe it to the wonderful sporting culture we have in this city, we owe it to the next generation of women and girls players in particular, but also to the community at large."