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Blatter Cool On European World Cup in 2018
(Goal.com) - FIFA's president, Sepp Blatter, warned during meetings in London today that there were no guarantees that the 2018 World Cup would be held in Europe, so raising question-marks about England's hopes of hosting that particular tournament.
Blatter was in the English capital on Wednesday for talks with Chancellor of the Exchequer, Gordon Brown, and sports minister Richard Caborn.
A possible World Cup bid was thought to be on the agenda.
However, Blatter raised the prospect that the 2018 tournament could be held either in North America or Asia.
The United States of America, China and Australia have all indicated their intention to bid.
In December, Fifa's executive committee will decide whether the World Cup should continue to be rotated between different continents, or if it should be open to all bidders.
Blatter told a media briefing in London: "The executive committee must take a decision whether the rotation should include all the confederations, in which case the 2018 World Cup should be in CONCACAF (north and central America).
"They could also decide that the Americas should be considered as one and then rotation would go to Asia.
"It may also be that the majority of the Fifa executive committee where you have eight European representatives (out of 24) can find the 13 votes needed (for the World Cup to return to Europe)."
Blatter added that his own preference was for rotation to continue to North America, with the USA, Mexico and Canada all capable of hosting the tournament.
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