It's the summer of 2030, lockdown is a distant memory. You hop on a train to Falmer. As you step on to the platform and begin to make your way towards the Amex, chants of "it's coming home" begin to ring around the ground. The biggest competition in football, the Fifa World Cup, has arrived in Brighton.
After the last 12 months, a vivid imagination might be needed to picture this in your mind's eye. However, following recent developments, it must be said that stranger things have happened.
A joint bid from England, Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland to host the 2030 World Cup has received support from the UK government, with Prime Minister Boris Johnson saying it is the "right time" to "bring football home".
England's Phil Foden (left) celebrates scoring his side's fourth goal of the game with team-mates during the UEFA Nations League Group A2 match at Wembley Stadium, London. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday November 18, 2020. See PA story SOCCER England.
A feasibility study is under way and will continue before the formal bidding process begins next year.
The English Football Association also said on Twitter that it welcomed "the government's pledge of £2.8million towards a potential bid" for the 2030 World Cup.
Albion did not wish to comment on the possibility of the Amex being one of the stadiums used during the competition, should the bid be successful.
England manager Gareth Southgate (left) on the touchline during the UEFA Nations League Group A2 match at Wembley Stadium, London. PA Photo. Picture date: Wednesday November 18, 2020. See PA story SOCCER England. Photo credit should read: Ian Walton/PA Wi
But the state-of-the-art facility certainly ticks all the boxes. Fifa regulations reportedly require host nations to provide at least six stadiums with a capacity of at least 40,000, with Qatar providing eight venues for the 2022 event.
The Amex, able to hold more than 30,000 fans, does fall short of this requirement.
But it is still among the 30 largest football stadiums in the UK. And, having been completed in 2011, it is also one of the newest.
And it has already shown its ability to host international competition, being chosen to host three matches during the Women's European Championships next summer.
However, with talks of a 2030 World Cup bid still in their early stages of development, there have been no announcements so far on which stadiums would be chosen to host games.
A joint statement released by the FA and the football associations of Scotland, Wales, Northern Ireland and Republic of Ireland on Monday evening read: "The football associations and government partners of the UK and Ireland are delighted that the UK government has committed to support a prospective five-association bid for the 2030 FIFA World Cup.
General view of the pitch before the Premier League match at the AMEX Stadium, Brighton. Picture date: Monday February 22, 2021. PA Photo. See PA story SOCCER Brighton. Photo credit should read: Mike Hewitt/PA Wire...RESTRICTIONS: EDITORIAL USE ONLY No us
"We will continue to undertake feasibility work to assess the viability of a bid before FIFA formally open the process in 2022.
"Staging a FIFA World Cup would provide an incredible opportunity to deliver tangible benefits for our nations.
"If a decision is made to bid for the event, we look forward to presenting our hosting proposals to FIFA and the wider global football community."
England's Declan Rice scores his side's first goal of the game during the UEFA Nations League match at Wembley Stadium, London..
The 2022 World Cup will take place in Qatar next year, while the 2026 tournament is to be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico.
England have not hosted the World Cup since the Three Lions' victorious 1966 campaign.
London, Glasgow and Dublin are among the 12 host cities for the delayed 2020 European Championship, which is scheduled to take place this summer.
In an interview with The Sun, Prime Minister Boris Johnson said: "We are hosting the Euros. We are hosting the semis and the final. If there's any other matches that they want hosted, we're certainly on for that but at the moment that's where we are with UEFA."
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