In a first of its kind The United States, Canada and Mexico have announced they will make a joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup. It will be the first tournament after the expansion from 32 teams to 48 and, if successful, would be the first time a World Cup has been shared by three hosts. The proposal would be for the USA to host 60 matches, with 10 games each in Canada and Mexico. The decision on who will host the event will be made in 2020. That is three years later than originally scheduled because of corruption allegations surrounding the awarding of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups to Russia and Qatar.
The USA staged the 1994 World Cup, which had the highest average attendance in the tournament’s history, while Mexico was the first nation to host the event twice, in 1970 and 1986. Canada hosted the 2015 women’s World Cup.
U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati told a news conference in the 102nd floor observatory of the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan “We announce our bid to bring the World Cup back to the United States, to Canada and Mexico in 2026.” We look forward to welcoming the world after what we hope is a successful bid.” Gulati said the initial plan was for 60 of the 80 World Cup games to be played in the U.S., with Canada and Mexico hosting 10 each. All matches from the quarter-finals onwards would be in the U.S.
Asked whether Mexico in particular, which hosted the World Cup in 1970 and 1986, wanted to hold more matches, Gulati said: “I think it’s safe to say both countries would have liked to host more. In the end, it was a discussion, a negotiation, but a very friendly one.” Following the presentation, Gulati, Mexican federation president Decio de Maria and Canada Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani, who is also CONCACAF president, signed a memorandum of understanding to join forces in the bid.
The CONCACAF region is widely viewed as favourite to win the 2026 World Cup, given FIFA rules that restrict Europe and Asia from hosting again so quickly. FIFA is soccer’s world governing body. Africa, whose only World Cup was in South Africa in 2010, however, would be able to bid and Morocco is the most likely candidate.
“A World Cup in North America, with 60 games in the United States will be by far the most successful World Cup in the history of FIFA in terms of economics,” he said.
