David Beckham was last night hailed as the man who can be the vital ingredient in England's 2018 World Cup bid.

FA chairman Lord Triesman is convinced the Beckham factor will make a huge impression when the final decision is made by FIFA in December.

England appear to have made a significant step towards expanding their support by confirming a friendly in Thailand, who have one of the 24 votes at FIFA, next June.

And with Beckham flying in from Los Angeles to Switzerland to officially hand over England's bid book to FIFA chief Sepp Blatter on Friday, Triesman pointed to the effect the former England skipper had on the men who matter in world football when he attended the 2010 finals draw in Cape Town to back up his conviction.

Triesman said: "The great thing about David Beckham is that if he suddenly appeared in any village anywhere on the planet people would know who he is.

"There are very few people that is true for. He's not only a great player but also an incredibly good guy, with great values and personality.

"People love seeing him, and that goes as much for senior figures in FIFA as it does for fans around the world and that is why he is taking a leading role.

"He should do too. We're bidding for a football festival and that bid should be led by the most iconic footballer on the planet."

The bid book, sent from FA headquarters at Wembley to Zurich in a secure 18-ton truck, is a massive 1752 pages and weighs a whopping 19lbs, containing details of venues, training camps, ticketing, government guarantees, transport and estimates for how much the World Cup will cost to stage and how much income it will generate.

FA chiefs, locked in what is likely to be a battle with Russia and the joint bid from Spain and Portugal, believe they can sell their model of a safe, secure, risk-free and commercially successful tournament.

But Triesman warned: "No matter how great we think football is in this country, we have to earn this. If we feel it will simply be given to us, then we're wrong."