Do you think England will host the 2018 World Cup?

[Dino]

Wheels have been put in motion for the England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.
But do we have a chance? The Olympics will be an obvious success but is that going to matter a few years later?
And given how the government is always going on about cutting spending, can we afford another international spectacle?
I don't think we'll win the bid. If we weren't hosting the Olympics, we might be in with a good chance? But coming 6 years later... no.
Would you want it anyway?
At least the organisers haven't been put off by David Cameron! lol
I'm making a poll...

[Si Hunt]

No. We've already taken on the Olympics and there are suggestions that poor people who don't like Sport will pay for it out of their tax for the benefit of people who do. On top of that, we have an awful International side currently so perhaps we should get that right before we host it and invite the whole world over here to show us up.

Si.

[Anthony Williams]

While I think we have enough venues already built, I don't think we can afford all the publicity etc. etc. We're trying to reduce the budget deficit at the moment, and I don't think having the World Cup here will help it.

But, what do I know? I was against us hosting the Olympics...

Ant x

[Lissa]

The Olympics is a totally different event - many venues and facilities need to be built from scratch whereas we've already got more than enough football stadiums to host the World Cup next month. There's Wembley, Old Trafford, City of Manchester Stadium, the Emirates, Anfield, St James's Park, the Stadium of Light, Villa Park, Stamford Bridge and Goodison Park. And that's just the ones that exist now - several clubs are already planning new grounds (paid for by themselves not the tax payer) which should be finished by 2018. The World Cup should turn a profit if we don't have to spend all that money on building projects.

England should've hosted the World Cup more than once already. Not because we invented the game but because there is something immoral about countries like South Africa and Brazil spending billions of dollars building facilities which we already have. Euro 96 proved we can do it - and that hooliganism is a thing of the past - and if FIFA wanted us to host it then we would've been given it in 2006. We weren't and we won't get the 2018 tournament either. It'll either go to a country willing to pay much higher bribes (I'm still quite ashamed at getting the Olympics knowing how corrupt the IOC is and what we likely had to do to win) or to another third world "project" that can't afford it but which will let the world's media patronise another race of people.

"Oh look - some little African children watching the World Cup on television for the first time - how sweet. Let's get our pictures taken with them."

[Llordllama]

No. We should spend our money on training some players to actually kick the ball in the back of that there net thing first before getting our arses kicked on home soil. Although if we host it, aren't we automatic qualifiers...

[WhiteCrowNZ]

I think they're taking the opinion they should kind of share it amongst the major continents. Part of me thinks the country should wait to see how the Olympics goes.

I always get the jitters if I hear anywhere near me is thinking of planning to hold a major sporting event. Sheffield spent lots building sports venues for the World Student Games in the 1990s and it was felt to be a disaster, with a lot of money wasted, and some of the accomodation bulldozed a few years later (in a city with an accomodation shortage), add on top of that the city being left in debt. Disaster.

You only have to look at how the Millenium Dome and new Wembley have gone to realise if anything has to be built it's likely to go way over budget and be delivered late.

[Larry]

England should've hosted the World Cup more than once already. ."

by 2018 it will be 52 years since we last held it and for a country like England, with our long and ritch footballing history that is unexcetable - we have the stadium, we have the fans, in the BBC, we have probably the best and most proffesional TV corporation in the world to organise the tv coverage. And a World Cup, held in England, is almost certain to be a guaranteed financial success for FIFA so we have everything in our favour whether that's enough remains to be seen .

[Lissa]

It was fine not to host it in the 70s because we had it in '66, the 80s were plagued by hooliganism and the 90s saw the Euro 96 dry run. That's all fine. But now it does look like a deliberate policy not to let us host it. FIFA doesn't like us - simple as that. Maybe they resent the UK having effective control over the laws of the game (through the IFAB) or maybe it just comes down to the French/English power struggle over who governs world football.

[SiHart]

Despite not being a big football fan, I don't think it would be a bad thing. There's mention above of how much it will cost us, but no-one mentions how much money it will bring in from all the people coming into the country to watch the games, paying to stay somewhere, drinking heavily in our pubs and bars and clubs...

Si xx

[Perry Vale]

I think Russia will get it, which option should I vote for?

[Larry]

I think Russia will get it, which option should I vote for?

what is crazy about the Russian, bid is that they have said they would need to build at least 14 new stadiums. now even if they started in early 2011 they would almost certainly need to have everything ready by 2017.

so your realisticaly looking at a 5 year deadline to get everything built and ready in time and IMO FIFA, would be taking a big risk in awarding a World Cup to a country that is starting with nothing.