Andy Burnham ‘plots bid for Britain to host World Cup’ as he eyes tourism boost

On Aug 21, 2026

Andy Burnham is exploring a bid for the UK to host the men’s World Cup alongside plans for a Northern Olympics, according to reports.

A known football lover, the prime minister’s bid would form part of his push to use major sporting events to drive investment, tourism and regeneration beyond the capital, The i has reported.

It would bring the World Cup back to the UK for the first time since England hosted in 1966, when the Three Lions last won the tournament.

The newspaper reported that Mr Burnham told colleagues on Friday morning at No 10 North that he was in talks with the nation’s footballing bodies about how a campaign could be delivered to host the tournament.

The Independent has contacted the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) for comment.

Mr Burnham hopes to bring the beautiful game back to the UK (PA)

The next available World Cup is in 2038, followed by tournaments in 2042 and 2046, but Fifa has not begun the process of deciding the host yet.

Mr Burnham is also reportedly hoping to bring the Olympics up north in an effort to bring more revenue to other regions of the country.

Culture secretary Lisa Nandy supported the prospect of bringing the Olympics up north in May this year as a coalition of northern mayors have campaigned for the bid in the 2040s as part of a stadium regeneration push.

She said: “London 2012 showed what the Olympics can do for our country. It inspired a generation through sport, attracted huge investment and showed the best of Britain to the world.

Lisa Nandy has supported the prospect of a northern Olympics (PA)

“But while the North of England has driven so much sporting excellence, no matter the talent we produce, the sporting moments we create, and the world-class events we attract – for too long we have been told the Olympics is simply too big and too important to be hosted in the North.

“Not any more. It’s time the Olympics came North and we showed what we can offer to the world. I couldn’t be more pleased to announce that we’re starting the firing gun on a long overdue vote of confidence in the North.”

The UK will host the women’s World Cup in 2035, after it hosted the 2005 and 2022 women’s European Championships. The latter saw England’s women win the tournament for the first time on home soil.

As part of a joint bid with Ireland, the UK is set to host the men’s Euros in 2028. But the prime minister – a keen Everton supporter – voiced his frustrations earlier this month that the World Cup had only been hosted in the UK once, in 1966.

The prime minister supports Everton football club (PA)

“It makes you wonder whether the authorities at the European and global level have something against us,” he told Ellis Platten, host of the Away Days podcast.

“The country that invented the game, you’d think we would have had a bit more of that attention.”

The World Cup bid may be important to Mr Burnham after his stint as culture, media and sports secretary where England submitted a bid in 2010, which was awarded to Russia.

The controversy around the process for that World Cup, and that which was awarded to Qatar for 2022, eventually unseated then-Fifa president Sepp Blatter and other senior officials.

Since entering Downing Street himself, Mr Burnham has called for Fifa’s current leader, Gianni Infantino to resign, saying he is the “wrong man” to lead Fifa over his bungled attempt to sell off stakes in the World Cup to private investors.

He told journalists: “I do not believe that he is the right man to lead football forward on the world stage.

“The plan that was put forward was offensive to many people, football people, around the world, and it can’t be the case that we just move on and forget that, it wasn’t acceptable.”

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