FIFA welcomes USA shelving its 2018 bid

FIFA have welcomed the news that the United States have pulled out of the race to stage the 2018 World Cup.

That means a European nation will definitely host the event in 2018 following Australia's withdrawal in June.

FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke said: "We have had an open and constructive dialogue with the USA bid after it became apparent that there was a growing movement to stage the 2018 World Cup in Europe.

"The announcement by the USA bid to focus solely on the 2022 FIFA World Cup is therefore a welcome gesture."

That in turn means England will no longer stake a claim for the 2022 event, instead focusing all their attention on trying to secure the tournament in eight years' time.

England's is one of four European bids for 2018.

It is up against Russia and joint bids by Belgium/Holland and Spain/Portugal.