Chairman Niall Quinn and Sunderland Council leader Coun Paul Watson yesterday launched the city's campaign to be included in England's bid for the tournament.

With Newcastle's St James's Park already having a bigger capacity at more than 52,000, the Stadium of Light could be at a disadvantage.

But Quinn stressed that he didn't see his club in direct competition with Newcastle for the prize of host status and he would be satisfied if both of the Tyne-Wear rivals were awarded games.

The Stadium of Light was built with expansion in mind and it was former chairman Bob Murray's ambition to add a second tier to the South Stand, increasing capacity to 60,000.

The Wearsiders had one of the highest attendance averages in the Premier League last season, and Quinn admitted that an improvement in his own club's performance, coupled with the challenge of a World Cup, could promote expansion plans.

"We're getting 44,000 averages in the bottom five - what would we get for a team in the top half?" said Quinn.

"We'd certainly have to think about it (expansion). It could be done in a pre-season.

"We know we have a lot of the components here to make a great World Cup. It is not just about getting a few games of football here, it is about making a statement for the city.

"I don't see this as a head-to-head race between us and Newcastle. This should be seen as a regional bid and if Newcastle got games as well, that would be great.

"I think 15 cities will be bidding for the right to be a host city and it is up to us to create such a swell of support to make sure Sunderland is included in England's bid."