1966 was the year when the hopes of England’s fans were realised for the first time. England became the first host nation to lift the coveted trophy. The wait for a similar feeling was getting longer, but maybe if England got to host the cup, then history would repeat itself.

The eyes now are on 2018 becoming the year the ‘miracle’ could happen again and the time when the cup will return to its home. There are around a dozen other nations vying for the honours but England seems to be the leading contender. Good thing, she is receiving all round support, from fans, coaches, players and even the government. If England does manage to win the World Cup, then we can be sure fans will turn out in droves donning their Umbro 08-10 England away football shirts in support of the home team. Moreover, the home team is also guaranteed to qualify so we won’t have any disasters like the Euro 2008.

England has started its bid already by becoming the first one to visit FIFA at Zurich. Obviously it’s not going to be cake walk as Andy Anson, the head of England’s World Cup Bid team stressed, “we’re very optimistic but have a lot of hard work to do.”

Even the government has supported the bid wholeheartedly. Culture Secretary and member of bid team, Andy Burnham, who looks after sports also, explained to Steve Blatter, the president of FIFA the facts that make England the best choice. He is quite right in pointing out the best quality stadiums and other infrastructure that would ensure a great cup.

Coming out in support of the bid, England’s coach Fabio Capello has also talked about the significance of the place where the most loved game of the world was born. The Italian expressed his feelings saying, “England needs it, football needs to be back home.”

But this time the bid team will need to be extra cautious considering the last time they tried, though more or less on similar grounds, yet allowed kind of arrogance to set in. This time let the merit do the talking. Let’s ensure that we’ll not miss it, again.