Russia to host World Cup as England bid falters

Instead, Russia was chosen to stage the event for the first time after a secret ballot in Zurich, Switzerland.

The team behind England's failed 15m bid said they felt "let down" last night after learning they had been eliminated in the first round of voting, despite the bid being described as "excellent and remarkable" by Fifa president Sepp Blatter.

David Beckham said he was "disappointed" by the decision, while Prime Minister David Cameron praised England's bid.

Mr Cameron said: "It's hard to see what more you can do, but in the end it turns out having the best technical bid, the best commercial bid, a passion for football, that's not enough."

Prince William said: "Obviously we're extremely disappointed and so is the team. We had a very strong bid but sadly it didn't work out. Congratulations have to go to Russia. They won. I'm sure it will be a very good World Cup."

Although England has excellent stadia, good transport links and policing, it is thought a number of behind-the-scenes factors may have gone against it.

The BBC's recent Panorama investigation accused three Fifa executive committee members of accepting "corrupt" payments and alleged that Fifa vice-president Jack Warner attempted to supply ticket touts.

England 2018 bid chief executive Andy Anson said the votes they expected did not materialise and he questioned the way in which World Cup hosts were decided.

"The process is strange when we clearly came out as the top technical bid," he said. "We had the best economic appraisal, I think. You have these building blocks in place and they clearly mean we have got a very strong bid.

"To then find out you go out first is surprising and it does make you question the process."

A major plank of Russia's bid was that the World Cup would provide a reason to regenerate the country, which will have to build new stadia and overhaul its transport network.

Meanwhile, Qatar was chosen to host the 2022 World Cup.