Beckham to launch bid

The England midfielder, a bid vice-president, is due to play a major role in the star-studded launch event at Wembley Stadium.

Personalities from the bid team campaigning for either the 2018 or 2022 tournament will also be speaking.

Leading politicians from the three main parties will also be in attendance to underline cross-party support for the bid.

The launch will aim to set out England's reasons for bidding and to underline the country's unrivalled infrastructure and stadia, and the economic benefits that would accompany the World Cup.

BBC presenter Adrian Chiles will be the compere for the event, which will be followed by a meeting for representatives from 15 cities who are all hoping to be hosts. The prospective hosts will be given an update on the requirements needed as well as the timings for the process to choose the cities.

The 15 cities are: Birmingham, Bristol, Derby, Hull, Leeds, Leicester, Liverpool, London, Manchester, Milton Keynes, Newcastle, Nottingham, Portsmouth, Sheffield and Sunderland.

FIFA's 24-man executive committee will vote on the hosts for both the 2018 and 2022 tournaments in December next year. Spain and Russia are England's main European rivals in Europe, while the USA and Australia are also bidding.