World Cup 2018 – 4 days to decision
Very much calm before the storm – in the case of the England 2018 Bid Team, a storm of two halves. The first of these is the BBC Panorama programme tomorrow night and the second, Decision Day itself on Thursday.
In these quiet moments before then, the Bid Team should perhaps think of the FIFA 2018 World Cup as the another piece in an amazing decade to come for sport in this country. England has in the next few years an outstanding sporting calendar to feast upon.
Next year in 2012 the Olympics returns to London after a 64 year gap. The capital first held the event in 1908 and was awarded the games in 1944, but with the Second World War raging they never took place and instead in 1948 London hosted the Games of the XIV Olympiad.
In 2013 the Rugby League World Cup returns to these shores for the fifth occasion. Previous tournaments took place here in 1960, 1970, 1995 and 2000. The 1992 Final was also played at Wembley, although the Qualifying games took place around the world over a three year period.
Just two years later in 2015, the Rugby Union World will be on English soil. England was the designated host back in 1991, although the tournamnet was spead around the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. In 1999 Wales hosted the event and as with 1991 the fixtures were played in the rest of the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. The intention for 2015 is that virtually all games will be in England, with the Millennium Stadium in Wales being the exception.
If fate decides then 2018 would see the FIFA World Cup in England after 52 years and the sporting decade would be rounded off with the Cricket World Cup in 2019. England hosted the first three World Cups (1975, 1979 and 1983) and then again in 1999. So will be back in England after a 20 year absence.
The message to the FIFA Executives is clear; this is a country that has successfully bid for hosting the bigest sporting events on the planet in the coming decade. That is not a coincidence but credit to this country, its sporting bodies and the fanatical sporting public. It is time to bring the 21st FIFA World Cup back to “The Home of Football”.