The FIFA president has visited Russia twice over the past months, meeting the country’s president Dmitry Medvedev and prime minister Vladimir Putin, and is said to be impressed by their expansion plans.
In an interview with the London Evening Standard, Blatter said that England does not need to convince the executive committee that it can deliver a World Cup: “We know England can stage the World Cup. But England winning [the right to stage it] – I am not so sure.”
Blatter also indicated that the 2018 event will most likely be awarded to a European candidate. Rival European bids to Russia and England come from Portugal/Spain and Netherlands/Belgium in addition to Australia and the United States. Japan yesterday joined Asian counterparts Qatar and South Korea in bidding only for the 2022 event.
The hosts of the 2018 World Cup will be decided at a meeting of FIFA's executive committee in December.
