USA, Canada and Mexico to host 2026 FIFA World Cup
June 13, 2018
The World Cup is to return to North America for a fourth time after FIFA members voted to award the right to host the 2026 tournament to a joint bid from the United States, Canada and Mexico.
The North American bid beat competition from Morocco, which was hoping to become just the second African country to host soccer's biggest international tournament.
The "United" bid received 134 of the 203 votes cast at the FIFA Congress in Moscow, while Morocco polled 65.
"Thank you for entrusting us with the privilege of hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2026," Carlos Cordiero, the president of US Soccer told the delegates from more than 200 member nations following the vote. "Football today is the only winner."
This was the first World Cup vote since 2010, when the rights to host the 2018 and 2022 tournaments were awarded to Russia and Qatar respectively.
Change in decision-making mechanism
This was also the first time that every FIFA member nation apart from the four nations involved in the bids was given a vote on the issue. Hosting rights for previous World Cups had been awarded by what was then a 24-person FIFA Executive Committee.
Expanded tournament
The 2026 World Cup is to be the first to feature 48 teams, compared to the 32 that are to compete in Russia and Qatar. The United States, which hosted the 1994 World Cup, is to host 60 of the 80 matches, including those in the knockout phase, while Canada and Mexico will get just 10 group-stage matches each.
Mexico has previously hosted two World Cups, in 1970 and 1986. Canada, which has only qualified for the World Cup once, in 1986, has hosted a number of previous FIFA events, including the 2015 Women's World Cup.