'Four Nations' tournament could start in 2011

Details have been revealed of the format the planned biannual Four Nations internationsl soccer tournament could take.

The competition involving the Republic of Ireland, Scotland, Wales, and Northern Ireland could start in 2011, following talks involving each national association.

Gordon Smith of the Scottish FA said: "We're looking at having a tournament where we all play each other, so it's three games, and we're looking at having one game in February and two in May to tie up the tournament and have a winner established."

Each championship will have a host team, which will change on a rotational basis, and all matches will take place in their country.

Fixtures already in place for the next two and a half years prevented the tournament being added to the international schedule with immediate effect, or from next year.

With the 2010 World Cup qualifiers already fixed in place on the calendar, there was little prospect of the tournament beginning until after the tournament in South Africa for practical reasons.