FA preparing bid for 2030 World Cup - but rule out hosting 2022 should Qatar be stripped of tournament

They would face stiff competition from a special South American bid to mark 100 years since the first World Cup

The FA is preparing for a 2030 World Cup bid and has committed to assessing the feasibility of hosting the competition in the coming months.

However, the organisation has categorically ruled out stepping in for 2022 if Qatar is stripped of the tournament, out of respect for Fifa's policy of rotating between the confederations.

While no decision will be taken on the 2030 event until 2019, the English FA board last month agreed to start looking into the potential of bidding for the event.

The decision was confirmed on Wednesday in a statement from FA chairman Greg Clarke.

“Last month, the English FA Board agreed to conduct feasibility work into the possibility of putting itself forward to be Uefa’s potential candidate to host the 2030 Fifa World Cup," Clarke said. "This work will take place during the new season and no decision will be made until 2019.”

They would face competition from a special South American centenary bid involving Argentina, Uruguay and Paraguay to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup, but the fact it would be 12 years after Russia would mean it is open to a European country again as well.

That is not the case in 2022, however, since that is supposed to be the year the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) hosts the event. As such, even if Qatar is stripped of that World Cup, as issues around their bidding process and the staging of the tournament continue to arise, the FA will not put itself forward as a replacement host.

“Fifa has chosen Qatar to host the 2022 World Cup and they have a duty to investigate any issues around the process that are rightly thrown into question,” a further statement from Clarke read.

“Russia did a brilliant job hosting the 2018 World Cup and we support the rotation of World Cup hosting among the confederations. That would make the 2030 World Cup the next one a European nation might be able to host, and not before. Anyone suggesting otherwise is acting disrespectfully to our global game and does not speak for the English FA.”