England’s 1-1 draw in Podgorica on Tuesday has left Roy Hodgson’s men with an uphill task to secure their place in Brazil next summer.

They are currently two points behind leaders Montenegro with only four Group H games remaining.

Aside from the national humiliation, failure to reach the World Cup finals for the first time since 1994 would have serious implications for the FA’s bank balance.

Just by making it to Brazil, the FA would be guaranteed £8 million in prize money - the minimum amount for teams eliminated in the group stage based on Fifa’s recent announcement of a 33 per cent increase in the prize-money pot from the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.

The figure rises to £16 million for reaching the quarter-finals, a reasonable expectation for England based on past tournaments, and £26.5 million for winning the World Cup outright.