England has entered the bidding process to host the 2018 World Cup, after the Football Association (FA) submitted its letter of intent to FIFA.

FIFA, the international football federation, has set a deadline of 2 February for all declarations of interest to be received, and it has been reported that Russia, Japan, Qatar and Indonesia have also entered the running, as well as a joint bid from Portugal and Spain. The FA's bid chief executive, Andy Anson, said: "Our intentions have obviously been well known for some time but there's a real sense of significance and excitement in the fact that we're now acknowledged as an official bidding nation.

"We believe we have a very strong case to bring the tournament to England and the challenge now is to put together a compelling presentation to showcase to the world." According to the BBC, Australia, Mexico and the US are also rumoured to be confirming their interest, as well as a joint bid from Belgium and Holland.