With John Terry ruled out by a back injury, coach Fabio Capello has confirmed Ferdinand will captain his country for only the second time – and the first in a competitive match.

Many pundits felt the former Leeds United defender was unfortunate to miss out to Terry when Capello chose his permanent captain in August.

Ferdinand has insisted the disappointment has not affected him, or his relationship with Terry. But today he will get the opportunity he has always dreamed of.

The 29-year-old said: "Being captain in any game is great, but leading out England in the first World Cup qualifier at Wembley is very special.

"I am very much looking forward to it. I will cherish this moment."

Ferdinand previously captained England in the friendly defeat to France last March, when he emerged with plenty of credit.

Sir Alex Ferguson has said the Londoner will be the next permanent skipper of United, with Gary Neville's long-term injuries meaning he often wore the armband for the Red Devils last season, including for the Champions League final win over Chelsea in Moscow.

However, leading his country out – at the new national stadium – promises to be a different experience completely.

He explained: "The biggest thing will be walking out at Wembley. It is a fantastic new stadium and the home of our national team.

"To lead England out against France in Paris was great, but I think this will up the ante even more.

"Being at home in front of a sell-out crowd, in front of our own fans, my family there as well – I can't wait."

Although understandably elated to get the job, Ferdinand is sorry Terry will miss out, recognising the hole it will leave in England's defence.

However, with Matthew Upson, Joleon Lescott and Wes Brown all candidates to replace the Chelsea man, Ferdinand is confident England will not be hampered too much.

"John is a top player and to miss anyone of that calibre is disappointing," he said. "But there are pros and cons to every situation. He is out of the team through injury, which is disappointing, now someone else has to come in and throw their hat into the ring.

"Whoever the manager deems right to play will go in with every confidence and produce the goods."

Ferdinand is determined England will retain their 100 per cent start to Group Six.

Yet he believes the full backing of a capacity 90,000 crowd is required to really put Kazakhstan under pressure.

"People sometimes forget that football is entertainment, and we're there to entertain the fans," he said. "But it is a two-way street. They can help us entertain them; when they scream their hearts out and make some noise.

"A lot of times in away games the fans are very vocal and you come out of the stadium thinking the atmosphere was incredible, and if we'd gone a goal down it would have been a hard place to be.

"We want Wembley to be like that, through the way we play and with the help of our fans creating that kind of atmosphere."

Capello has promised England will produce their best home performance of his time in charge today.

The Three Lions may be stepping into the unknown as they tackle a Kazakhstan side whose new-look squad contains only four players the Italian has ever seen on video before.

While England began their World Cup Group Six qualifying campaign with away victories over Andorra and Croatia, Kazakhstan suffered defeats by Croatia and Ukraine, prompting the sacking of Dutch coach Arno Pijpers and the temporary appointment of German Bernd Storck.

For Capello, it is a chance to show last month's stunning World Cup qualifying win over Croatia was no fluke. And he is confident his players will be ready to meet the challenge.

"There is a big expectation on us but that is normal for an England team," he said. "We have to play with confidence and I am sure we will. It will be better than when we have played at Wembley before."

Capello feels his team are more compact than they have previously been, which could have something to do with a new formation he appears ready to use, with Steven Gerrard returning for the injured Joe Cole in a midfield that also includes Frank Lampard and Gareth Barry.

He has, though, no intention of disrupting the forward line that performed so clinically against Croatia.

Wayne Rooney confirmed earlier this week how much he enjoys playing with Emile Heskey, while boy-wonder Theo Walcott will make his first England appearance at Wembley.