Football Federation Australia today officially granted licences to the Gold Coast and North Queensland and said expansion wouldn't dilute the quality of the A-League.
The two new Queensland consortia will enter the 2009-10 season and make it a 10-team competition.
One year later the FFA plans to add another two teams, with Melbourne and a western Sydney team currently high on the list of candidates.
"I think there's a lot of talent out there that hasn't taken the field for an A-league team yet," said FFA CEO Ben Buckley.
"The premier leagues in each of the states have a lot of players who are capable of playing at the A-league level but because of the small number of teams probably haven't got their opportunity yet."
"Queensland has the second most registered (football) participants, we think there's a very strong interest in football but more importantly there's a strong interest in following sport."
Final legal documentation is all that remains to be completed by the Townsville-based North Queensland consortium.
Buckley announced the competition expansion today at Skilled Park, the proposed home of the Gold Coast, who are backed by iron ore billionaire Clive Palmer.
The FFA board ratified the inclusion of the two new teams at its board meeting yesterday.
Both teams had originally hoped to be granted licences in time for this season but the FFA opted to delay the expansion earlier this year.
Gold Coast United chief executive Clive Mensink believed coach Miron Bleiberg could turn the club into a premiership contender in its first season despite a ban on signing players who had more than six months remaining on their A-League contracts.
"I think we can (win the league), obviously that's going to be up to Miron to pull a rabbit out of the hat," he said.
"At the end of the day you are in here to win, (but) we are here not only to win but to create a special environment for the people who are on the coast and in northern New South Wales."
Townsville golf course magnate Don Matheson, who is behind the north Queensland franchise, told AAP yesterday it would take "two to three weeks" to complete a legal agreement with the FFA.
Buckley today added it was the only outstanding matter in NQ's bid.
"North Queensland has met all the commercial criteria we set for them last month, including local community and business support which has been terrific," Buckley said.
