England in pole position for 2018 bid?

Amidst the financial pressures of rebuilding Wembley Stadium and the Centre of Excellence at Burton, the FA has managed to spend close to £20 million on the bid to bring the 2018 World Cup to England, despite initially budgeting for just £9 million.

 The latest news to be spat out from the media whirlwind surrounding the bid is that England would deliver the most profitable event according to FIFA consultants, with the FA aiming to make between £55 million and £75 million.

Following a month of media-related setbacks, news of England’s financial muscle follows a FIFA report that scored England’s bid above all other rivals, ensuring England currently remain favourites to secure the event.

 The report reflected favourably on England’s transport and stadia, security infrastructure, IT, marketing and legacy proposals. In addition, England’s bid scored 100% across the board in five areas; ticketing, TV and media rights, sponsorship, hospitality and merchandise/licensing.

In addition, bid rivals Russia have been criticised for the transport and infrastructure development still required, whilst the Spain/Portugal bid was deemed to be lacking a clear security plan.

 Despite the encouraging news for the England bid, FIFA raised concerns over hotels and training facilities, drawing attention to four contractual areas where government guarantees are not currently met. England 2018 chief executive Andy Anson has insisted the English bid still remains the strongest.

 "FIFA gave us a very strong evaluation and have just published an economic study which puts England way ahead of its competitors,” Anson stated. “If you combine the two, we clearly have the strongest bid. It's the perfect foundation."

 The last and only World Cup success for England coincided with hosting the tournament in 1966; will home advantage in 2018 be enough to propel the nation to World Cup glory?

Have England done enough to succeed in their bid for 2018? With the vote in Zurich set to go ahead on December 2, we would love to know your thoughts.