Football: World Cup 2006 - How England measures up to FIFA's World Cup checklist

GOVERNMENT SUPPORT

"The British government has worked wholeheartedly since 1996 to ensure that we can host the very best World Cup."

Prime Minister Tony Blair

STADIUMS

England offers at least 15 football stadiums with a capacity of more than 40,000 seats and three of more than 60,000 seats, including a brand- new 90,000-seat Wembley. All of the nominated stadiums have the required seating and 100 per cent of seats will be covered. None of the stadia has perimeter fencing.

SECURITY

Euro 96 showed England is a safe and secure environment for a major international tournament. England has the world's most comprehensive system of stadium safety inspection. The security systems are cutting-edge.

TELECOMMUNICATIONS

England is the global centre for broadcast media and telecommunications. Both the main global TV news feeds have their headquarters in London, as do the main sports feeds. Fifa demands a network which "will enable all kinds of communication".

TRANSPORT

London's five international airports handle 96m passengers a year - Heathrow alone serves 200 destinations. A regional network includes nine more international airports. Distances between venues are short and high-speed road and rail networks connect them. For example, London to Manchester takes only 21/2 hours by train.

ACCOMMODATION

England offers a choice of first-class accommodation at each venue and offers a broad range of accommodation across all price ranges. Britain welcomes 25m tourists each year.

TRAINING GROUNDS

England's football infrastructure is the best in the world. The country offer a fantastic range of training facilities, including some of Europe's finest, which have been developed by clubs such as Middlesbrough and Liverpool.

DRUG TESTING

The world famous Drug Control Centre at King's College is accredited by the Medical Commission of the International Olympic Committee. It is the first IOC-accredited laboratory to conform to the required guidelines in the carrying out of analyses of doping tests.