England is being encouraged to bid to stage the 2018 Soccer World Cup.
Uefa president Lennart Johansson told BBC radio on Thursday that the 2018 edition will likely return to Europe and that England had a good chance if it submitted a bid.
The statement came after a Wednesday meeting with Gordon Brown, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, and sports minister Richard Caborn.
With the 2010 World Cup being held in South Africa and the 2014 tournament set to go to a South American country, Europe is almost certain to hold the 2018 competition.
Caborn said the government would be behind any bid to stage the tournament and Football Association chairperson Brian Barwick said: ”We would like it.”
”If that is the year when it comes back to Europe, we’re going to go for it,” Barwick said.
Australia are also thought to be interested in staging the event while Belgium and The Netherlands are considering a joint bid.
Caborn said earlier that the 2012 Olympics in London could serve as a test of the country’s infrastructure. — Sapa-dpa