Representatives from cities hoping to form part of England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup have travelled to London's Wembley Stadium in order to submit their applications.

A decision on which applicants have been successful in gaining Host City status is expected to be made on 16 December, with 15 cities across the country in the race to be awarded World Cup fixtures in nine years time. The applicants are Birmingham; Bristol; Derby; Hull; Leeds; Leicester; Liverpool; London; Manchester; Milton Keynes; Newcastle/Gateshead and Nottingham, as well as Plymouth; Sheffield and Sunderland.

However, it was confirmed that Portsmouth had pulled out of the race to become a Host City due to the local authority's decision not to continue in the application process, following a meeting on 24 November. Each of the 15 applicants will now have to adhere to strict criteria, which outline the requirements all host cities need to fulfil as part of the bid. Factors including infrastructure, accommodation and city profile will all be considered by the 2018 bid team before selecting the successful candidates.

England 2018 board member Lord Mawhinney said: "Every city involved has worked hard to put their bid together and it is right that people across the country - particularly those in and around the applicant cities - know what is required. "We believe England would be the perfect host to a World Cup tournament. This process will identify the best possible facilities the country can provide to FIFA."

However, the submission of bids by each of the candidate cities has come in the same week that Sir Dave Richards, chair of the Premier League, resigned from the bid board just two weeks after a streamlining exercise. Bid chief executive Andy Anson told the BBC: "It is a decision that he's made for personal reasons, the board accepted his decision and we've moved on and all we're now focusing on is campaigning efficiently and building the best possible bid we can."