London, Feb 7 (AP) Britain and Ireland dropped plans on Monday for a joint bid to host the 2030 World Cup, opting instead to try to stage the 2028 European Championship.

The pursuit of the flagship FIFA men's tournament was being led by the English Football Association, which assessed the prospects of winning after losing badly in 2010 in a tainted contest for the 2018 edition.

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“The feasibility study included an analysis of the economic impact, the political football landscape and likely costs of hosting major international tournaments,” the five British associations said in a statement.

"On balance, the five associations have decided to focus solely on an official bid to host UEFA Euro 2028, and have agreed not to bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.

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“Hosting a UEFA Euro offers a similar return on investment, with the European tournament carrying a far lower delivery cost and the potential of the benefits being realised sooner.”

The decision is a boost for Spain and Portugal, who are pursuing a joint bid for 2030, and with UEFA desiring one European candidate.

England last hosted the World Cup in 1966 and also failed with a bid for the 2006 tournament. But it hosted the 1996 European Championship and Wembley had eight games last year when the competition was staged across Europe. Scotland also staged four Euro 2020 games at Hampden Park.

Although the Wembley final was marred by violence by England fans ahead of the loss to Italy, UEFA has shown its backing to London by choosing to stage a game with CONMEBOL between European champion Italy and South American champion Argentina in the city in June. (AP)

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