British Prime Minister Theresa May signalled her "full support" for a potential joint bid by the United Kingdom and Ireland to host the 2030 football World Cup.
May's comments serve up a formidable challenge to a Latin American plan that Argentina agreed with Paraguay and Uruguay in April.
England's fans have been riding a wave of patriotic jubilation since their young team beat the odds to reach the semi-finals of the June-July tournament played in Russia.
But the biggest event in the world's most popular sport is being expanded from 32 to 48 teams starting with the next edition in Qatar in 2022.
The change means that even countries with ample infrastructure may struggle to cope with the weight of pulling off the massively followed competition on their own.
The 2026 tournament was awarded to a "United" bid the United States presented with Mexico and Canada.
The rights for the 2030 World Cup are still up for grabs -- and the five Football Associations within the United Kingdom and Ireland have been plotting a joint bid of their own.
May said her support for 2030 stemmed in part from the adulation England received for their performance in Russia.
"Following the excitement of this summer's World Cup, the English FA are working together with the FAs of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Ireland to explore whether there could be a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup," May said yesterday.
"The decision on whether to bid is, of course, for the Football Associations to make. But if they decide to go forward, they can count on this government's full support."
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