8 Jul 2009Inspections to begin on England football stadia ahead of World Cup bid

Football Leagues/ Association and Governance | Football Technology and Stadia

English cities looking to be a part of the campaign to host the FIFA World Cup in either 2018 or 2022 are to undergo inspections in the coming week, it has been revealed.

Some 15 cities have declared an interest in being involved in the showpiece and have between them 22 football stadia that could potentially host matches.

The inspections will take two months to complete and will begin in Bristol before ending in Newcastle, with final announcements set to be made by December.

However, Wembley is guaranteed to host the final, while Old Trafford, the home of Manchester United, is almost guaranteed to be one of the grounds chosen.

For stadia to be included, they must have a capacity of over 40,000 seats, meaning that some interested parties, such as Bristol and Milton Keynes, will need to expand their venues ahead of the tournament if chosen.

Meanwhile, those that are not successful could still be selected as a training venue.

The last time a major football event was held in England was the UEFA Euro 1996 Championships, with Aston Villa's Villa Park and Sheffield Wednesday's home of Hillsborough among the eight chosen hosting venues.

Written by Mark Thompson

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