D-day for Yorkshire cities bidding to host World Cup matches

YORKSHIRE cities competing to host World Cup games in 2018 if England is chosen to stage the sporting spectacular, will learn their fate today.

City and tourism chiefs in Sheffield, Leeds, and Hull will be on tenterhooks when the Football Association reveals its 15 chosen locations this afternoon.

Manchester, Liverpool, Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Leicester, London, Milton Keynes, Newcastle/Gateshead, Nottingham, Plymouth and Sunderland also made submissions last month.

The Liverpool bid suffered a major blow on the deadline day for applications when the government backed a decision to refuse planning permission for Everton’s plans for a new stadium at Kirkby.

Football League and selection panel chairman Lord Mawhinney will announce the successful cities and stadiums at 3pm.

He said: “The selection panel’s job has been a tough one. FIFA’s technical standards understandably are very high and it is vital we are as thorough as possible right through to the end of the process.”

A final decision on the hosts for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups will be made by FIFA in December 2010.