Chancellor Gordon Brown – who is under pressure on another front to shelve VAT on Olympic spending by London 2012 - says he would be behind the move. Brown is likely to be the next leader of the incumbent Labour party and could become the next Prime Minister.
An official study into the project has concluded that England is well-placed to stage the competition and Culture Secretary Tessa Jowell said hosting the World Cup would be fantastic for the whole of the UK.
The final decision on tabling a bid lies with the Football Association, which spent millions on an unsuccessful attempt to host the 2006 competition.
Chancellor Gordon Brown and sports minister Richard Caborn have also given their backing to the bid.
Mr Brown and Ms Jowell are due to visit the new Wembley Stadium to launch the report of the government's feasibility study on holding the 2018 contest.
She told BBC Radio Five Live: "The FA will, in due course, make their decision.
"What Gordon Brown and I are showing today is that a World Cup bid would have unqualified Government support. "That was such an important part in winning an Olympic bid."
England failed in it bid to stage the 2006 World Cup which went to Germany. The competition became acrimonious after the Germans accused England of reneging on an agreement to give them clear passage to the competition in return for supporting England’s Euro 96 candidature.
It is likely but not certain that the World Cup will return to Europe in 2016, after Africa ( 2010) and South America ( 2014). However, Australia, now part of the Asian Confederation, has been making noises about hostng the competition and might prove an enthusiastic and attractive host.
