More than 2 million shoppers' signatures are to be gathered by Morrisons after the supermarket was named as a partner of England's bid to host the 2018 World Cup.

The new campaign aims to demonstrate the strength of public enthusiasm for England to be awarded the right to host the tournament, which will be decided by FIFA in December. Morrisons, which attracts more than 10 million shoppers each week, is set to call on people to show their support for the bid from 8 March. The group has stores in each of the 12 candidate host cities.

Andy Anson, England 2018's bid chief executive, said: "Domestic support can play a vital role in helping to convince FIFA we would be worthy hosts of the 2018 World Cup. Since our launch in May, the response of the public to the bid has been fantastic." Morrisons group retail director Mark Gunter added: "We're sure that our customers would be delighted if the World Cup came to England in 2018 and by becoming a commercial partner we can help them to play their part in supporting the bid."