It’s Sunday 14th July 2030 and the eyes of the world turn to Wembley, to see goals from Phil Foden, Mason Greenwood and Trent Alexander Arnold win the FIFA World Cup for England.
Thirty-four years after Frank Skinner and David Baddiel first put the idea to music, the nation that gave football to the world stands at its pinnacle, in front of its home fans. The impossible dream made possible! Let’s make it happen.
The success of Gareth Southgate’s team at last summer’s World Cup in Russia, showed how football brings the country together like little else.
The record TV audiences following the exploits of the Lionesses at this year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup in France, has added to the level of excitement and anticipation that England can sit at the top of the football world.
We have the best and most popular league, which attracts some of the most talented players from each continent. Our sporting infrastructure is the best in the world, including numerous first-class large stadia, located right across the country.
The success of the London 2012 Olympics, probably the greatest ever in terms of the athlete and spectator experience, shows that we have the know how to deliver major international sporting events.
I have discussed the prospect of our hosting a future World Cup with Boris Johnson, London’s Mayor during our Olympics and the leading candidate to be our next Prime Minister.
He has given this mission his wholehearted support telling me that: ‘This country is the home of football but more to the point it is the best place to hold a World Cup.
“With our unparalleled facilities and access to advertising markets a UK World Cup would drive the revenues that could be invested in football across the world - inspiring both boys and girls to take it up.”
When the votes were counted in Zurich in December 2010 to find the hosts for the 2018 World Cup, England’s bid ended in humiliation.
Despite England having the best technical proposal to host the tournament, other considerations swayed the votes of the members of FIFA’s ruling Executive Committee.
It was a deeply flawed system and many of FIFA’s top officials from that time, including its then President Sepp Blatter and Vice President Jack Warner, have faced allegations of financial misdealing.
The recent arrest of the former head of European football, Michel Platini, as part of an inquiry by French prosecutors into the decision to award the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, shows that the FIFA corruption scandal has a long shadow.
The 2026 World Cup has now been awarded to North America, where it will be jointly hosted by the USA, Canada and Mexico.
This means that for 2030 the tournament could return to Europe, and a bid from the United Kingdom, perhaps also with the support of Ireland, would be the perfect home for it.
The FIFA bidding process has changed since 2010, with greater emphasis now placed on the quality of the facilities, the welcome offered to fans from around the world, and the rights of workers who will create any new infrastructure needed.
The final decision will now taken by the votes of all of the 211 FIFA member nations rather than by a group of senior executives in a Zurich conference room.
This gives us a unique opportunity to go out and promote what we have to offer - and what a UK World Cup could deliver for football right across the globe. Sports capture the imagination of people across continents and cultures like little else. Let’s embrace the challenge and show the world what we can do.
Article originally published in The Sun here, on 22 June 2019