A DELEGATION of World Cup bid leaders will visit Liverpool later this month as part of the Football Association’s bid to host the 2018 or 2022 finals.

The deadline for registering interest in being a possible World Cup venue passed yesterday, and the inspection team will now travel to all 15 cities competing to host games.

Liverpool Council, Everton FC and Liverpool FC announced earlier this year they would work together on a campaign to become not just a host city for the FA, but also a base for teams to stay during the competition.

English destinations will be judged both on the quality of their football stadiums and on tourist facilities, like hotels and other attractions.

In theory, it is possible Merseyside could have two new stadiums at Stanley Park and Kirkby capable of hosting World Cup games by 2018.

But Liverpool Council leader Warren Bradley has said both Merseyside clubs should once again consider a shared stadium to maximise the city’s chances of being selected as a venue.

Even if a stadium is not chosen for hosting matches, it can still be put forward as a training venue to host countries such as Brazil who attract large crowds to training sessions.