Moncton one step closer to hosting FIFA cup

Moncton is now the only Maritime city vying to co-host the 2015 FIFA Women's World Cup after Halifax regional council voted Tuesday to withdraw its bid as a host city for the big soccer event.

There are now six cities bidding to co-host the event Moncton, Edmonton, Vancouver, Winnipeg, Montreal and Ottawa.

Officials have previously said that six cities could host games at the tournament.

But Canadian Soccer Association officials could not confirm Wednesday that Moncton is now a shoo-in.

FIFA is expected to announce its decision in May or June.

Moncton is hosting an internationalwomen's soccer exhibition game at the Moncton Stadium on May 30.

Canada's seventh-ranked national team will take on China, ranked 18th, as both teams prepare to compete at the London Olympics this summer.

Soccer New Brunswick officials have said hosting the exhibition game gives Moncton the opportunity to demonstrate its ability to handle world-class events.

Halifax regional council decided building a new stadium in order to host the event was too expensive for the city to pay for on its own and temporarily shelved the project.

The Halifax Regional Municipality had committed $20 million toward the cost, but the provincial government had not committed to the project.

The Canadian Soccer Association had set a deadline of March 31 for Halifax to let the organization know if they could afford to host one of the World Cup games. That deadline was the result of a three-month extension granted in December.