Fifa report backs England and US World Cup bids as most profitable
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.
Both England, who are bidding for the 2018 finals, and the US, bidding for 2022, were given an unbeatable overall 100% 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 Fifa executive 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% rating for 2018, followed by Spain/Portugal with 91%, Holland/Belgium 87% and Russia 86%.
For 2022, it rated the United States top with an overall 100% evaluation, followed by Japan with 73%, South Korea 71%, Qatar 70%, and Australia on 68%.
England scored 100% in all five of the revenue stream areas, while the United States scored 100% in four.
All the European candidates for 2018 scored 100% 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 Russia only scored 56%.
England also had the highest revenue potential in licensing and merchandising, while Holland/Belgium scored 73%.