Rumours give England bid well promising

England's World Cup 2018 bid received a timely boost after a secret FIFA report gave it a perfect 100 per cent score

World Cups held in England and the United States would meet all of FIFA's projected revenue targets and deliver bigger profits to world football's governing body than any of their competitors, according to a confidential report seen by Reuters.

Both England, who are bidding for the 2018 finals, and the US, bidding for 2022, were given an unbeatable overall 100 per cent rating by management consultants McKinsey.

McKinsey were commissioned by FIFA to analyse each bid across five key revenue streams: sponsorship, ticketing, hospitality, licensing and media rights.

The report, which does not reveal FIFA's projected target figure, just each country's potential to meet it, has been sent to the 22 FIFA members who will decide the destinations of the two World Cups on Thursday.

It will be discussed by the executive committee for the first time on Wednesday.

The report, entitled FIFA's World Cup Host Candidate Assessment, gave England an overall 100 per cent rating for 2018, followed by Spain/Portugal with 91 per cent, Netherlands/Belgium 87 per cent and Russia 86 per cent.

For 2022, it rated the United States top with an overall 100 per cent evaluation, followed by Japan with 73 per cent, South Korea 71 per cent, Qatar 70 per cent, and Australia on 68 per cent.

England scored 100 per cent in all five of the revenue stream areas, while the United States scored 100 per cent in four.

All the European candidates for 2018 scored 100 per cent in media rights because McKinsey did not see a variation in revenue potential as all countries fall into the same European time zone for broadcasting matches.

The biggest difference in any 2018 revenue stream came in hospitality in which England again scored 100 per cent and Russia 56 per cent.

England also had the highest revenue potential in licensing and merchandising, likely to hit 100 per cent of its target figure, while Netherlands/Belgium scored 73 per cent.

The report comes as a huge boost to England's bid for 2018 in particular, following the BBC's Panorama TV programme screened on Monday evening in the United Kingdom which alleged corruption at the head of world football's governing body.

The McKinsey report comes after the publication of FIFA's Technical Evaluation reports following the visit of its inspectors in which England were also given the highest rating by the inspection team.

Andy Anson, the chief executive of England's bid campaign, told a media briefing on Monday that the team had been encouraged by the report, without going into the details, obtained by Reuters later.

"FIFA gave us a very strong technical evaluation. FIFA have now had an economic study and England comes out way ahead of its competitors in that study, and we clearly have the strongest bid for 2018 -- its the perfect foundation."