MADRID, Spain -- The southern Spanish city of Cadiz made a formal offer to host the next America's Cup on Tuesday.

Representatives of a group which prepared Cadiz's met with the Alinghi last week. The bid was formally announced Tuesday. The Swiss syndicate won the America's Cup with a 5-0 sweep over Team New Zealand.

Because the landlocked Swiss cannot host the next regatta themselves, they must consider ports on the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts.

Alinghi is committed to visiting Cadiz over the next two weeks to tour marina facilities and receive a detailed report on weather and sea conditions in the Bay of Cadiz, said Carmen Horta, spokeswoman for a grouping of town halls in Cadiz province.

Cadiz will host the world sailing championships in September, and Horta said the bay boasts a solid record of dependable wind.

Alinghi officials will not announce the venue before December, Horta said.

The next Cup is likely to be held in 2007.

Barcelona and Palma de Mallorca are also preparing bids.