England deserve the chance to stage greatest show on earth

The seal on Britain's decade of sport will be placed in Zurich at 3pm today if 12 of FIFA's 22-man executive committee name England as hosts of football's 2018 World Cup.

From the 2012 Olympics in London to the football extravaganza six summers later – the people of Britain will witness all of the world's big sporting events in one golden, unforgettable, decade.

The rugby World Cups for league and union take place on these shores in 2013 and 2015, respectively, sandwiching the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.

Throw in Ashes series' in 2013 and 2017, and a Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in the weeks after the Commonwealth Games and sports fans from Land's End to John O'Groats can leave their passports under lock and key.

England, Great Britain, will be the sporting capital of the world.

Not since Kenneth Wolstenholme uttered that line of commentary now etched into folklore at Wembley in 1966 have the sports-mad people of this country known it so good.

Even without a football World Cup, should FIFA today choose the legacy of Russia, the attraction of Spain/Portugal or the reliability of Holland/Belgium, it will be a sporting decade to savour.

But the World Cup in 2018 would be the tip of the iceberg.

Football is our national sport. We are the forefathers of the game. We have the biggest league in the world, beamed into living rooms across the planet, now it is time to give this country the greatest show on earth.

Our bid is the strongest, the safest. The majority of the stadia are built, the infrastructure already in place. The heavyweights have been drafted in: Prince William, David Cameron and David Beckham, the latter whose worldwide appeal helped the London 2012 team breast the tape ahead of Paris for the Olympic vote in Singapore five years ago.

Good old Becks could have sold sun-loungers in snowbound Sheffield yesterday with a flash of that smile. He was melting hearts in Switzerland with the kind of football analogy that wins support – hopefully from the floating voters he, the Prince and the PM are courting.

The expert crosser of a ball is the man putting the finishing touches to a bid that originated in 2007 and has spanned the entire country; from London to Leeds, Newcastle to Nottingham.

For the past three years, diplomats, politicians, sports administrators and sports stars have lobbied behind the scenes and in front of the cameras to bring the World Cup to England.

'England United, the World Invited' is a slogan with a lot more universal appeal than 'Football's Coming Home', the Euro 96 moniker regarded as arrogant by not only opponents, but some back home.

England's bid may centre on Wembley Stadium but would not be at this stage now were it not for Hillsborough and Elland Road, Home Park and St James' Park; regional sporting meccas at the very core of the 2018 proposal.

The process has not been without controversy, from resignations of high-ranking bid officials to media investigations into alleged corruption at FIFA.

But the message has never changed – England will put on the best World Cup possible in 2018.

The question to be answered today is, will FIFA agree? And will that agreement be enough?

When measured against the pros and cons of their rival bids, England's is technically the best; a fact acknowledged by everyone from local bid teams to those at the very top.

The England 2018 team have been in Zurich this week convincing FIFA's executive committee of that very notion, yet the one word that strikes fear into many pundits, and gives Russia the edge despite the country's vastness, logistical dilemmas and inexperience, is legacy.

For FIFA, and their fellow governing bodies at sport's top table, legacy is a buzz word.

Breaking new grounds, pioneering new markets is an attractive proposition for sport's administrators looking for a lasting epitaph of their own.

What can a bidding nation offer after the event has finished that continues spreading the footballing gospel to it's people for decades to come?

It is why South Africa was chosen for last summer's tournament, and why Russia is today's front-runner, despite prime minister Vladimir Putin's decision to stay at home.

FIFA president Sepp Blatter is an advocate of legacy, but for one man who spent a long time working on England's 2018 bid, it could also be a positive wild card England can play this morning.

Former Sheffield MP and sports minister Richard Caborn was Gordon Brown's World Cup bid ambassador and will keep a keen eye on events in Zurich today in the hope that the groundwork he helped lay paves the way for a successful bid.

"If England win the bid today, they can sit down and straight away start working on a worldwide legacy programme that would span 2014 in Brazil and right the way through and beyond the 2018 World Cup," said Caborn, who believes Russia in particular will spend the majority of their budget on delivering the stadiums.

"All our efforts will be spent on taking football to the rest of the world. It will be England giving a worldwide legacy for sport, through the Olympics and the World Cup.

"That, to me, is a powerful weapon. If FIFA choose England then they know the stadia are already in place. We put on 10 Premier League games every weekend, moving thousands of fans around the country, and we could run a World Cup tomorrow if needs be. We have the best technical bid and, as a nation, we are passionate about sport and football. We would give the fans as good a World Cup as anyone.

"Coming off the back of the Olympics as well it would be fantastic."

Spain/Portugal, Russia and Holland/Belgium will not give up without a fight. All have strong cases, their pros and cons.

FIFA's executive committee hold the fate of Britain's sporting decade in their hands. Kick-off is 3pm – could it have been any other time?

THE VOTERS

profiles of the 22-man FIFA executive committee and predictions of who they will pick in the first round of voting.

Sepp Blatter (Switzerland)

FIFA president since 1998 and who is as concerned about ensuring he has no rivals for his re-election next year as choosing the best 2018 and 2022 World Cup hosts.

vote: Russia.

Julio Grondona (Argentina)

FIFA's senior vice-president who has made little secret that he has no love for England.

vote: Spain/Portugal.

Issa Hayatou (Cameroon)

The head of African football was strongly backed by England when he challenged Blatter for president in 2002.

vote: Russia.

Chung Mong-joon (S Korea)

has long been an enemy of Sepp Blatter. His vote in later rounds could swing it for England.

vote: Holland/Belgium.

Jack Warner (Trin and Tob)

England's hopes rest almost entirely on securing his support. As president of CONCACAF he can guarantee two and probably three votes.

vote: England.

Angel Villar Llona (Spain)

played for Athletic Bilbao and was capped by Spain. If Spain/Portugal win, it will be down to his personal relationships.

vote: Spain/Portugal.

Michel Platini (France)

UEFA president who is not as anti-English as some think and will back England in later rounds.

vote: Holland/Belgium.

Geoff Thompson (England)

Yorkshireman more effective behind the scenes rather than in the front of a camera. The head of England 2018 bid needs to pull in some personal favours to win.

vote: England.

Michel D'Hooghe (Belgium)

Doctor and sports medicine specialist who is head of FIFA's medical committee.

vote: Holland/Belgium.

Ricardo Terra Teixeira (Brazil)

former Son-in-law of ex-FIFA president Joao Havelange. The real power in Brazilian football.

vote: Spain/Portugal.

Mohamed Bin Hammam (Qatar)

the 61-year-old head of Asian football fell out with Blatter spectacularly last year.

vote: Spain/Portugal.

Senes Erzik (Turkey)

Close to Thompson, and England are counting on the 68-year-old's vote for the first round onwards.

vote: England.

Chuck Blazer (USA)

Larger-than-life character who will team up with Warner to maximise the effectiveness of CONCACAF's voting power.

vote: England

Worawi Makudi (Thailand)

heavily wooed by England but that may all be for nothing.

vote: Spain/Portugal

Nicolas Leoz (Paraguay)

At 82, the oldest man on the FIFA executive committee and perhaps the most controversial.

vote: Spain/Portugal.

Junji Ogura (Japan)

supports West Ham and rates Sir Bobby Charlton as his footballing idol. A dead cert for England.

vote: England.

Marios Lefkaritis (Cyprus)

The 64-year-old has allied himself with eastern Europe and is likely to be firmly in Russia's camp.

vote: Russia.

Jacques Anouma (I Coast)

African members are unhappy at the severe sanctions handed out to their colleagues following the Sunday Times expose.

vote: Russia.

Franz Beckenbauer (Germany)

Has said nice things about an England bid in the past but now wedded firmly to Russia.

vote: Russia.

Rafael Salguero (Guatemala)

the FIFA executive new boy may join the CONCACAF bloc with Warner and Blazer or instead back Spain/Portugal.

vote: Spain/Portugal.

Hany Abo Rida (Egypt)

Another new face in FIFA, and one who has lost little time in nailing his colours to the Qatar 2022 mast – with the implication that the 57-year-old will back Spain/Portugal for 2018.

vote: Spain/Portugal.

Vitaly Mutko (Russia)

a man with power and influence. Has been close to prime minister Vladimir Putin most of his political life and is ex-head of the Russia Football Union.

vote: Russia.