Is football coming home? England consider bid to host World Cup 2030
England are to consider bidding for the 2030 World Cup, the Football Association have announced.
FA chairman Greg Clarke has confirmed a final decision about putting forward an attempt to host the tournament will be made next year.
He said in a statement: “Last month the English FA Board agreed to conduct feasibility work into the possibility of putting itself forward to be UEFA’s potential candidate to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup.”
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Despite the popularity of the Premier League on the global stage, England have not hosted the World Cup since 1966, the year the Three Lions secured their one and only win.
Wembley is to host seven games during Euro 2020 in a new look-format stretched over a number of counties but the FA believe the time is right for another World Cup some 64 years on from the last time.
They were handed Euro 96, however, and the tournament was seen as a huge success.
But should England go for the 2030 World Cup, they are expected to face stiff competition.
A “strong” joint bid from Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay is predicted to carry weight with that year marking the 100-year anniversary of the first World Cup in Uruguay.
Ruling out stepping in for the 2022 bid, Clarke went on to say: “Fifa has chosen Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup and they have a duty to investigate any issues around the process that are rightly thrown into question.
“Russia did a brilliant job hosting the 2018 World Cup and we support the rotation of World Cup hosting among the confederations. That would make the 2030 World Cup the next one a European nation might be able to host, and not before.
“Anyone suggesting otherwise is acting disrespectfully to our global game and does not speak for the English FA.”
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England felt aggrieved when their bid to host the 2018 World Cup was unsuccessful. Russia were instead announced as hosts by disgraced Sepp Blatter, the ex-president of FIFA.
Fans are backing the FA and social media reaction suggests a bid would be welcomed, regardless of the high level of cost involved.