An FA insider said: "They were always the ones we wanted. They're massive Newcastle supporters and they're also the most popular people on TV.
"We're hoping to recreate the buzz David Baddiel and Frank Skinner's Three Lions had during Euro 96. That sold a million and we think that with Ant and Dec's appeal, they could beat that."
The pair are former pop stars. They sold 600,000 albums and had a Top 10 hit with Let's Get Ready To Rumble. They were nominated for the Best Newcomer award at the Brits in 1995 - losing out to Oasis.
"We made a mistake for the last World Cup when we got the Spice Girls to sing the official song," said the FA source. "But we're sure that with Ant and Dec, we'll be on a winner."
Other frontrunners in the race were apparently the Swedish group The Cardigans. A survey by the football website 4thegame.com found fans voted Robbie Williams the number one choice to sing England's World Cup song.
The poll of 1,060 people placed the singer top with 57 per cent. New Order got 25 per cent of the vote as the band who should record the song. When asked who a collaborator on the single should be, David Beckham came top with 42 per cent.
It is feared that England's clash against Argentina on 7 June could produce the biggest mass "sickie" ever - costing the UK economy more than £400 million.
