It may seem like a strange kind of masochism given recent history, but there is a very real prospect of England launching a bid for the 2030 World Cup after the outcome of Fifa’s vote for the 2026 tournament. Fifa’s member nations voted overwhelmingly to award the 2026 event to the “United” bid of USA-Mexico-Canada in the first World Cup election since the hugely controversial vote eight years ago, when Russia and Qatar won the right to host the 2018 and 2022 tournaments and England achieved one solitary vote.

There were significant differences this time around — all the Fifa nations had a vote instead of only the executive committee, there was transparent voting with each country’s choice being made public and the Fifa congress