The Sunderland 2018 Host City bid is set for its final Wembley showdown this week following months of hard work and preparations that have seen businesses, organisations and more than 50,000 people give their support to the campaign to bring World Cup football to the North East.

The final Sunderland 2018 bid presentation document will be delivered to England 2018 at a special Wembley Stadium event this Thursday, November 26.

The Sunderland delegation - which will be making the trip down to London on the Black Cats' official team bus - will be led by Sunderland AFC chairman Niall Quinn and Chief Executive of Sunderland City Council, Dave Smith, who will be accompanied by other key members of the bid team, including SAFC striker and England 2018 Ambassador Kenwyne Jones, Leader of Sunderland City Council Paul Watson and SAFC Chief Executive Steve Walton.

The delegation will also be joined by five youngsters representing Sunderland AFC and partner clubs Middlesbrough FC, Darlington FC Hartlepool United FC and Carlisle United FC, all of whom play a part in Sunderland's bid.

Sunderland is one of 16 candidate host cities competing to be included in England's 2018 bid to FIFA. The final evaluation of candidate host city bids will be announced by the England 2018 bid team on December 16, with a decision by FIFA on which countries will host the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to follow in December 2010.

The FA has stated that levels of public support for individual host city bids will be an important factor when it makes its decision about which venues to include in its proposal to FIFA. Enthusiasm for the Sunderland 2018 bid has been exceptional, with tens of thousands of people signing registers, and sending texts, emails and letters of support, all of which will be included in the final presentation on Thursday.

Niall Quinn, chairman of Sunderland AFC, said: "The final Sunderland 2018 Host City bid presentation at Wembley Stadium represents the culmination of months of hard work and the support of tens of thousands of people from across the North East, who would love to see World Cup football at the Stadium of Light.

"I would like to thank everyone for their truly wonderful support, including the many businesses that have played a key role in supporting the 2018 bid, such as Nissan, Caterpillar and Gentoo and the sporting institutions that are integral to our proposal and vision of bringing World Cup football to the whole of the region, such Durham CCC, Middlesbrough FC, Hartlepool United FC, Darlington FC and Carlisle United FC.

"If Sunderland is to be successful, it would be a truly wonderful achievement and I urge everyone across the country, regardless of which cities make it into the final England 2018 proposal, to get behind England's bid in the coming months and show FIFA exactly what it would mean to host the World Cup here."

Leader of Sunderland City Council, Cllr Paul Watson said: "The sheer enthusiasm and passion that has been shown by everyone - from the bid team, to local business and the people of our region - has been wonderful to see. We have really demonstrated to the rest of the country just what this bid means to us and my thanks go out to everyone who has played their part."

Kenwyne Jones, an official England 2018 Ambassador for the FA added: "It is such an honour to be delivering the final 2018 bid presentation and I am really looking forward to visiting Wembley Stadium.

"It would mean so much to the people in the North East to have World Cup football in their region, and I know that the fans would make any match an incredible occasion."