Southampton hoping to be allowed to bid for 2018 FIFA World Cup host status

That is the message Southampton is giving to the Football Association as they attempt to gatecrash England’s 2018 World Cup bid.

The city was unable to submit a bid back in the summer as Saints were in administration, but is now well placed to step up to the plate – if the FA lets them in.

But with the south now without a potential venue, club and council bosses are hoping they will be allowed to step into the breach and bring World Cup football to Southampton.

Before Portsmouth pulled out of the race this week, the FA had told Saints and the City Council they could not enter the race at this late stage.

Councillors in Portsmouth pulled the plug on their bid after fears surfaced about the council making a £19m loss, despite the £150m it may make for the local economy.

Southampton City Council’s head of development Cllr Royston Smith, left, said: “This is about what we can offer. We deserve the chance to show what we can do as a city.

“We have got all the things you need, like hotels, training ground and we would obviously love to stage an event like this.

“With all due respect to Portsmouth, they didn’t even have a ground. We’ve got a fantastic ground that can easily be upgraded to far more than is needed.

One extension of 8,000 seats and it’s there. Plus we know the club would also be keen.”

Saints’ chief executive chairman, Nicola Cortese, was unavailable for comment last night, but in the past has told fans he is keen for Southampton to be one of the venues for World Cup matches should England be awarded the tournament.

More than 90 per cent of fans polled by the Daily Echo yesterday wanted to see World Cup football at St. Mary’s.

It is hoped the FA would now welcome a bid from Southampton, with no other city in the South able to provide the necessary facilities.

The 32,689 seat St. Mary’s Stadium would need to be increased in capacity to at least 40,000 - plus spaces for the media - to entertain World Cup matches.

It was designed to be able to take a further 8,000 seats on the Kingsland Stand, and 5,000 on both the Northam and Chapel Stands, giving a maximum capacity of around 50,700.

Cities must also have a good transport links, a sufficient number of hotel rooms, a suitable training facility and plenty of space for fan fests – large gatherings of fans to watch matches of big screens. Likely venues for fan fests include Guildhall Square, Mayflower Park or the planned plaza at WestQuay.

Should Southampton not be allowed to enter the race, the nearest potential venues will be Wembley and the Emirates Stadium in London, Stadium:MK in Milton Keynes and revamped stadiums in Bristol and Plymouth.