‘It’s time’ – England could host World Cup after seven decades as Fifa chief tells FA to ‘seriously think’ about it

ENGLAND could host the World Cup after a SEVEN-DECADE wait following a top Fifa figure’s encouragement to bid for the tournament.

The nation hasn’t bid for the tournament since the controversial 2010 vote for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups in Russia and Qatar, in which it was alleged that Fifa members were bribed to vote for the host countries.

England hasn’t staged a World Cup since the historic 1966 tournament, which saw Sir Alf Ramsey’s troops win the competition on home soil.

And Fifa vice-president Victor Montagliani believes it’s high time the tournament returns to these shores.

During an interview with The Times, he said: “I can’t see why, not just England but the United Kingdom shouldn’t be hosting the World Cup.

“I think it would be a fantastic World Cup and I think they should seriously think of putting their foot forward to host.

“We all know what the game means in the UK and I think it’s time.”

The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico, while the 2030 tournament set to be split across Spain, Portugal, Morocco and South America.

Saudi Arabia will stage the 2034 tournament having run unopposed for the hosting rights.

The Women’s World Cup will take place in the UK in 2035 and could be a potential catalyst for the men’s tournament to return to these shores in 2038 or 2042.

Speaking on Fifa’s rotation model, Montagliani said: “I support what we have done in recent history, I think it’s the only way.

“Now it shouldn’t be the Fifa president’s decision alone, he has a board, he has a council.

“But I think the old way we used to do it where people just waste their money and then all these shenanigans happen.

That’s ridiculous. Let’s get away from that.

“Let’s become a proper business. Let’s have an event management strategy so that we’re properly rotating it, everybody gets a crack at it.

“The reality is that the World Cup generates 80 to 90 per cent of Fifa’s income, which then sends 80 per cent of that back to its members for the development of football.

“And if Fifa doesn’t generate that money there is a significant number of the 211 countries that do not have the funds to develop football.”

Next year’s North American World Cup will be the first tournament to include 48 teams.

But South American footie chiefs have called for future tournaments to be expanded to an incredible 64 TEAMS, a total Montagliani believes would devalue the prestige which comes with qualifying for the competition

He said: “Sixty-four teams is just too much in my opinion. We still haven’t kicked the ball for 48 teams, although I think we’ll be fine.

“We’re OK where we are and I’m not comfortable with any more — scarcity is still important.

“It still needs to be difficult to get to a World Cup and I think at 48 you’re still going to have some nations you may think should be at a World Cup but fail to qualify.”