Sebastian Coe, chair of the London Organising Committee for the Olympic and Paralympic Games (LOCOG), has been appointed as a non-executive board member of England's 2018 World Cup bid company.

Coe will continue with LOCOG and as vice president of the International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF), but has been forced to take a temporary leave of absence from his role as chair of FIFA's Ethics Committee. It is hoped that Coe, who led London's successful bid to stage the 2012 Olympics, will help the Football Association's (FA) attempts to bring the World Cup to England for the first time since 1966.

FA and England 2018 Ltd chair, Lord Triesman, said: "Lord Coe is highly regarded international sports ambassador who is not only passionate about football, but also commands great respect in the global football community. "His experiences in leading the successful London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic bid and generating a wealth of domestic and international support will be invaluable to us."

Coe added: "Winning the football World Cup would be the hattrick in a golden era for sport in the UK following the Olympic and Paralympic Games in 2012 and the Commonwealth Games in Glasgow in 2014."