Former FIFA president Sepp Blatter backs England joint bid to host 2030 World Cup

England deserve to host the World Cup in 2030 and should consider a bid with other home nations, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, according to banned former FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

England bid to host the 2018 or 2022 World Cup but were beaten by Russia and Qatar after only receiving two out of 22 votes from the FIFA executive committee in the first round of voting.

“I think that England, or the islands, they deserve to organise the World Cup,” Blatter said while in Russia attending the World Cup as a guest of Russia president Vladimir Putin.

“They had it in 1966 so it’s a long time ago. (I was told that) it could be with Wales and Scotland together but I said why not Ireland altogether?”

The United States, Canada and Mexico’s joint 2026 World Cup will be the first tournament with 48 teams, and Blatter believes England and the home nations will be the ideal place to host the larger competition. “With 48 teams you need more than one country to host it.”

Blatter is serving a six-year ban for unethical conduct after his 17-year leadership at FIFA came to an end in the global corruption scandal in 2015.

A ban from “all football activities” was imposed by the Swiss attorney general’s office after criminal proceedings were opened against him on suspicion of criminal mismanagement and misappropriation.

Blatter has denied any wrong doing and has not been charged.

The former president introduced the new ‘one person one vote’ ballot system that saw the U.S, Canada and Mexico win the right to host the 2026 tournament, replacing the former executive committee vote.

“This is what I introduced in 2011,” said the 82-year-old. “But the elections should be made by secret ballot, this is also in the statutes of FIFA and the regulations and you should not announce who votes for whom.”