The UK Government is to set aside £2.8m, in tomorrow’s Budget, to begin the bid process to host the 2030 FIFA World Cup

Prime minister Boris Johnson said it is the “right time” to launch the joint bid, which will formally begin in 2022, followed by a feasibility study.

In a joint-statement, the football associations of England, Wales, Ireland, Northern Ireland and Scotland said they are “delighted” that the UK government has committed to support the bid.

The statement added, ”The FAs will continue to undertake feasibility work to assess the viability of a bid before FIFA formally opens the process in 2022.

“Staging a FIFA World Cup would provide an incredible opportunity to deliver tangible benefits for our nations.

“If a decision is made to bid for the event, we look forward to presenting our hosting proposals to FiFA and the wider global football community.”

A joint bid is also expected from Chile, Argentina, Paraguay and Uruguay, while Spain, Morocco and Portugal are also considering a bid.

The UK Government also said it will provide an extra £1.2m to host the women’s European Championship next year, as well as £25m for grassroots football facilities.

The news of the joint World Cup bid comes after Johnson offered to host additional Euro 2020 matches. It could see the whole tournament being played solely in Britain and the Republic of Ireland, instead of nine other nations in Europe.

The rescheduled tournament this Summer includes scheduled games at Wembley Stadium (cap. 90,000), Hampden Park in Glasgow (52,000) and the Aviva Stadium in Dublin (50,000).