LONDON, July 29 (Xinhua) -- England received a confidence vote on Sunday from Franz Beckenbauer, chairman of the 2006 World Cup's organizing committee, who believes England is the best candidate to host the 2018 finals.

    "In my opinion there is only one very serious candidate and it is England," said the German, a member of FIFA's 24-man executive committee, which decides the World Cup hosts.

    England are expected to launch an official bid to stage the tournament early next year with the government already indicating its support and appointing former sports minister Richard Caborn as World Cup ambassador.

    FIFA president Sepp Blatter, however, said Saturday in Indonesia that Europe is no certainty to host 2018 World Cup and he favors continued rotation between continents.

    "It has to come back to Europe and then England, of course, is the first choice to host the World Cup in 2018," Beckenbauer told BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday.

    "The Premier League at the moment is the best league in Europe, the stadiums are outstanding," he added.

    With Europe having hosted in 2006, Africa in 2010 and South America in 2014, a continued rotation policy would see the World Cup return to either the CONCACAF region or Asia ahead of any return to Europe.

    The sport's ruling body will announce the 2014 hosts in October, and a decision on the 2018 host continent is likely to take place in November with the final decision due to be taken in 2012.

    China, the United States and Australia have all expressed interest in hosting the event in 11 years' time, while in Europe the three Benelux countries -- Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg -- have already announced a combined bid.

    Europe's 2018 Cup hopes on thin ice

    BEIJING, July 30 -- Europe has no right to believe it is the natural host of the 2018 World Cup, as other confederations have proved they can hold the event successfully, FIFA President Sepp Blatter said on Saturday.

    Blatter, in Indonesia to attend yesterday's final of the Asian Cup between Iraq and Saudi Arabia, said the event had been a "resounding success."