USA emerge as threat to England's 2018 World Cup bid

The United States have emerged as a heavyweight rival to England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

The United States Soccer Foundation president, Sunil Gulati, confirmed his intention to "woo" Fifa and also market the US as an alternative for the 2014 tournament should a South American country not come forward.

"We showed in 1994 that the US is capable of hosting a terrific event," Gulati said. "Now, with the way the soccer landscape in this country has evolved, we would be in position to put on a spectacular event. We are much more a part of the sport internationally than we were in 1994."

The news will not be welcome at the Football Association. Although it is thought the 2018 World Cup will be awarded to a European country, the 1994 tournament, hosted by the United States, was regarded as a huge success within Fifa. And, with China also potential bidders, the FA could face stiff competition.

The FA is yet to officially confirm its bid for 2018 but the Government has offered its support with the Treasury commissioning a report that concluded England were "well placed" to host the tournament.

The US hosting of the World Cup in 1994 was seen as a way of nurturing football in the last major market where it was not already a primary sport. The event set the largest average game attendance record (68,991) and was credited with providing the spark for the creation of Major League Soccer launched two years later.

The league has grown tremendously since, with 2007 poised to be its best yet with the impending arrival of David Beckham in Los Angeles, and the launch of a 13th franchise in the Canadian city of Toronto.

"We've got some history and a track record," said Gulati, who worked on the 1994 bid. He added that Fifa were "very open" to a US bid while Concacaf, the governing body for North and Central America and the Caribbean, were "very positive" about the idea.

Brazil are the favourites to host the 2014 event, with Colombia the only other country in the running.

A decision is expected from Fifa later this year, but with concerns over Brazil being ready in time, the Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, has hinted it might go elsewhere.