Plans are reportedly underway for the United Kingdom to launch a bid to host a future men's World Cup, with the country's leadership said to be examining the prospect as part of a broader strategy to use major sporting events to boost tourism, investment and regeneration across the nation, according to a report from The i.
The initiative would mark the first time the World Cup has returned to English shores since 1966, when the hosts also went on to lift the trophy — the country's only major men's international honour to date. According to the report, discussions were held with colleagues at Downing Street on a Friday morning regarding conversations already taking place with domestic footballing authorities about how a formal campaign might be constructed.
A government spokesperson confirmed the broader ambition to keep securing prestigious sporting fixtures, pointing to already-confirmed events including the Tour de France and Tour de France Femmes Grands Départs in 2027, and UEFA Euro 2028. The spokesperson added that the UK remains an active candidate for the 2029 World Athletics Championships and the 2035 Women's World Cup, stating that the government intends to continue chasing events that unite communities, stimulate regional economies and generate employment nationwide.
FIFA has yet to open the bidding process for World Cups beyond 2034, with the tournament scheduled to be staged in 2038, 2042 and 2046 still without confirmed hosts.
Alongside the football ambitions, there are also reported plans to bring the Olympic Games to the north of England, an idea aimed at spreading economic benefits beyond London. Culture secretary Lisa Nandy backed the concept earlier this year, as a group of northern mayors pushed for a bid targeting the 2040s, tied to plans for stadium redevelopment in the region.
"London 2012 showed what the Olympics can do for our country. It inspired a generation through sport, attracted huge investment and showed the best of Britain to the world," Nandy said. She added: "But while the North of England has driven so much sporting excellence, no matter the talent we produce, the sporting moments we create, and the world-class events we attract — for too long we have been told the Olympics is simply too big and too important to be hosted in the North. Not any more. It's time the Olympics came North and we showed what we can offer to the world. I couldn't be more pleased to announce that we're starting the firing gun on a long overdue vote of confidence in the North."
The UK is already set to stage the Women's World Cup in 2035, having previously hosted the women's European Championships in 2005 and 2022 — the latter tournament ending in a historic home triumph for the Lionesses. A joint bid with the Republic of Ireland has also secured hosting rights for the men's European Championship in 2028.
A self-professed Everton supporter, the prime minister has previously expressed frustration that England has only staged the men's World Cup once. Speaking on the Away Days podcast with host Ellis Platten, he remarked: "It makes you wonder whether the authorities at the European and global level have something against us. The country that invented the game, you'd think we would have had a bit more of that attention."
The push for a future World Cup bid may carry personal significance, given his earlier tenure as culture, media and sport secretary, during which England's bid for the 2018 tournament was unsuccessful, with hosting rights going to Russia instead. That bidding process, along with the awarding of the 2022 tournament to Qatar, later contributed to the downfall of then-FIFA president Sepp Blatter and several other senior officials amid corruption scandals.
More recently, he has called on current FIFA president Gianni Infantino to step down, criticising a proposed plan to sell stakes in the World Cup to private investors. "I do not believe that he is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage," he told reporters, adding that the plan "was offensive to many people, football people, around the world, and it can't be the case that we just move on and forget that, it wasn't acceptable."
Based on reporting from The Independent.