3 Feb 2009Fifa confirms 2018 World Cup bidders

Football Leagues/ Association and Governance

Fifa has confirmed today (February 3rd) that England will be up against ten rivals in its quest to host the 2018 World Cup.

World football's governing body set a deadline of yesterday for applicants to make their bids official for the process, which also covers the 2022 instalment of the showpiece tournament.

Spain and Portugal and Holland and Belgium have submitted joint bids, while Russia, the US, Australia, Mexico, Qatar, Indonesia, Japan and South Korea have all registered their interest.

The decisions for both tournaments will be announced in December next year, with countries who fail to land the 2018 competition entitled to enter the 2022 vote immediately afterwards.

Recent comments by Fifa president Sepp Blatter indicated that joint bids are likely to be unsuccessful, which appears to suggest that England may effectively be up against eight opponents.

The last time England hosted the World Cup was in 1966 - when the Three Lions were victorious - while a bid for the 2006 tournament failed, with Germany being named as hosts.

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