adminMOSCOW. — The 2026 World Cup soccer finals will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico after their joint bid beat Morocco’s proposal to host it.
The “United 2026” bid was selected by FIFA member nations, winning 134 votes compared to 65 for Morocco.
The 2026 tournament will be the biggest World Cup ever held – with 48 teams playing 80 matches over 34 days.
Football’s showpiece event will return to the North American continent for the first time since 1994 when the United States hosted the tournament. Delegates had been faced with a clear choice – the joint North American bid boasts modern, established stadiums and well-developed transport links underpinned by Mexican football fervour.
Morocco, on the other hand, promised a “European” World Cup in Africa, playing on the north African nation’s proximity to Europe.
But compared to North America, Morocco’s bid existed largely on paper – many stadiums and roads would have had to have been built and critics questioned how it would have coped with the 2026 tournament, which will be expanded to 48 teams.
“Football is the only victor. We are all united in football,” US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro said. — BBC Sport.
Online Reporter