The prospect of the 2018 World Cup not featuring England has become a very real one in light of the attempted murder of a former Russian-Spy in Salisbury this week that left the man and his daughter in critical conditions.

The attack was carried out with a nerve-agent, resulting in a police officer needing intensive care and a further 18 people requiring medical attention.

Allegations that the Russian state was behind the attack were inevitable and their potential involvement would, of course, lead to great diplomatic consequences.

Football might seem quite low down the list of such fallout but the upcoming World Cup in Russia has forced the national team into the spotlight.

There are calls from within the UK government to completely withdraw England from the tournament - an unprecedented move in recent history.

The support for such drastic action is growing fast and would be a legitimate hit to Russia.

Football's showpiece event has been used by nations to establish themselves on the world stage since the very beginning - from the very first tournament in Uruguay through to South Africa welcoming the world in 2010.

Russia is no different, hoping to use the event in much the same way as the recent winter Olympics to show their country off and improve international integration.

The withdrawal of arguably the biggest footballing country on the planet would undoubtedly be a major problem for the tournament - but they wouldn't be the only ones facing consequences for such a move.

The Telegraph is reporting that FIFA would be within their rights to kick England out of the 2022 World Cup as well.

Regulations state that countries must fulfil their obligation to complete their matches or face sanctions “including the expulsion of the association concerned from subsequent Fifa competitions”.

We won't know for at least a little while exactly how realistic all of this could be - any withdrawal without evidence of Russian involvement in the attack would surely only create further issues.

The possibility is becoming more and more likely, however, and, so it seems, is that of England not competing on the world stage until 2026.

We'll just have to wait and see.