Less than a quarter of England expect to win World Cup 2018 bid
A YouGov study has found that less than a quarter of England believes that the country will win the right to host the 2018 FIFA World Cup, a tournament which could bring many millions to the country in marketing and sponsorship opportunities.
The announcement of the host will be made on Thursday, with 24% of respondents to the survey believing that England will become the host, and 58% expecting that Spain and Portugal will be successful.
YouGov’s survey was carried across six bidding nations: England, Spain, Portugal, Russia, Netherlands and Belgium, and found that just over half of English respondents would like to host the World Cup, while 87% of Russian respondents felt likewise.
Less than half of the Dutch respondents (45%) said that they would like to be this year’s host nation.
The survey was undertaken ahead of the BBC Panorama broadcast, alledging corruption within the bidding system, but also found that 57% of respondents were sceptical about the bidding process, and that 65% of England fans also questions the decision process and whether it was conducted in ‘a fair and ethical manner’.