England vs. China for 2030 World Cup?

A potential rule change means that the World Cup could well be hosted in China in 2030.

A English Premier League match between Arsenal and Manchester  [Photo: Xinhua]

England haven't hosted the World Cup since 1966, but it's never yet been held in China. The two countries are now the most likely rivals to hold the 2030 tournament.

The news might come as a bit of a surprise who follow World Cup rules closely. Until now, it's not been possible for the tournament to be held in the same continent without it being held on another continent for at least another two World Cups in between.

Technically, that meant that China couldn't have hosted in 2030 due to the 2022 event in Qatar.

However, according to a multitude of reports, that rule looks set to be updated, such that each continent would only have to wait for one tournament before hosting again.

Shanghai SIPG's Wu Lei [Photo: Xinhua/Fan Jun]

There are lots of reasons why China now looks the most likely host country for 2030.

Firstly, football continues to go from strength to strength in China, and over the last few months, the Chinese Super League is attracting a growing number of international superstars to its teams.

President Xi Jinping is known to be a keen soccer supporter, and he is said to be prepared to invest in the sport, and in the development of young players, with the aim of China being a potential World Cup winning nation by 2050.

China also already has a huge number of international standard football facilities, with an exceptional track record of the efficient building of new stadiums and infrastructure for events.

However, England (or potentially Great Britain as a whole) will also be sure to enter a strong bid to host the 2030 tournament. They haven't hosted since 1966, and it's exactly the type of event that a post-Brexit nation will be keen to run.

A strong contest with two excellent contenders looks likely to follow.