U.S. Canada and Mexico win bid to host 2026 World Cup
By admin - 2018-06-18 09:45:44

North America’s joint bid combining the United States, Canada and Mexico as host nations has been awarded World Cup hosting rights for 2026.

According to Yahoo Sports, FIFA’s 200-plus member associations gathered in Moscow on Wednesday and voted 134-65 in favor of the North American bid over rival Morocco. The North American proposal to deliver $11 billion of profit on over $14 billion in revenue, a record sum, was the determining factor, according to the report.

Officials also cite the complex infrastructure necessary to host a World Cup, which they say is already in place in North America, as having been instrumental in the decision. In contrast to Morocco, seventeen of 23 potential stadiums are currently ready, with the other six merely requiring renovation.

The current North American proposal is reportedly for 60 to 80 games to be hosted in the United States and 10 each in Canada and Mexico. Canada and Mexico have proposed three host cities each: Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton will stage games north of the U.S. border, while Mexico City, Guadalajara and Monterrey will be the sites down south.

Meanwhile, the U.S. has some work to do in compiling its list of host cities. Proposed thus far are the Rose Bowl (Pasadena, Calif.) for the opener; Mercedes-Benz Stadium (Atlanta) and AT&T Stadium (Arlington, Tex.) for semifinals; and MetLife Stadium (East Rutherford, N.J.) for the final.