England prepare 2030 World Cup bid and new contract for Gareth Southgate

The English Football Association (FA) is to conduct a feasibility study into a possible bid to host the 2030 Fifa World Cup, The Guardian reports.

England have not hosted the World Cup since 1966, which they won, but were a candidate for the 2018 finals, which were awarded to Russia.

There is also the possibility that the home nations - England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland - could launch a 2030 joint bid. The Guardian understands that England is “committed to talks with the Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland football associations about the possibility of jointly hosting before submitting any bid”.

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FA chairman Greg Clarke said: “Last month the English FA Board agreed to conduct feasibility work into the possibility of putting itself forward to be Uefa’s potential candidate to host the 2030 Fifa World Cup. This work will take place during the new season and no decision will be made until 2019.”

Southgate’s new deal

After leading England to the 2018 World Cup semi-finals head coach Gareth Southgate will be offered a new long-term contract.

Southgate has two years left on his current deal but Sky Sports reports that the FA will begin talks when he returns from holiday next week.

A new deal would see Southgate receive a significant pay rise to lead England into the next World Cup in Qatar in 2022.

FA chief executive Martin Glenn told Sky: “Gareth has been excellent - we’d like him to stay beyond 2020. I think we’d both like that.

“Benchmarks are always the question and we can never compete with the Premier League in terms of pay - everyone knows that. Gareth is on a journey. He loved the World Cup and he’s built his own belief that we can go further and that motivates him and [assistant manager] Steve Holland.

“One of the most powerful things he said after our defeat to Croatia [in the semi-final] was we haven’t done the job.”