World Cup: Bend an ear like Beckham

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

From the BBC: Former England captain David Beckham will attend the 60th congress of soccer’s governing body, FIFA, on Thursday to lend his support to England’s bid to stage the 2018 World Cup.

Beckham was not available for World Cup selection after rupturing his Achilles tendon while playing for AC Milan in March, but he has traveled with the England squad to South Africa in an ambassadorial role.

The congress, which is held annually, brings together delegates from the 208 FIFA member associations -- with this year’s event taking place at the Sandton Convention Center in Johannesburg.

Other bid teams will have their star names at the event, with the Netherlands-Belgium bid enjoying the backing of legendary Dutch internationals Johan Cruyff and Ruud Gullit, while Russia has Arsenal star Andrey Arshavin representing it.

The U.S. is also in the bidding for the 2018 -- and 2022 -- World Cups. The winners of both events will be announced in December.