Moscow: The 2026 World Cup will be played in the United States, Mexico and Canada after FIFA’s congress voted overwhelmingly Wednesday to back the tri-nation joint bid for the tournament and leave Morocco to miss out for the fifth time. The North American bid collected 134 votes to the 65 for Morocco. One congress member voted for ‘neither bid’.
The 2026 event will be the first expanded tournament featuring 48 teams, up from the current 32-team tournament, which begins Thursday in Russia.
Both bids were given a last chance to make their case with 15 minute presentations in front of congress, at the Moscow Expocentre here. The north Americans pledged their tournament would generate an $11 billion profit, while Morocco, which has now failed in five bids to host a World Cup, said theirs would make five billion.
Although it will be the first tournament to be hosted by three nations, the vast majority of games will be played in the US. Of the 80 games, 10 matches each will be hosted by Canada and Mexico and the remaining 60 in the US with the final played at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey, home to the NFL’s New York Giants and New York Jets.
“Thank you for entrusting us with the privilege of hosting the FIFA World Cup in 2026,” Carlos Cordiero, president of the US Soccer Federation told Congress. “Football today is the only winner.”
The US hosted the World Cup previously in 1994 while Mexico hosted it in 1970 and 1986. Canada has never hosted a men’s World Cup but conducted the women’s tournament in 2015.
“We are very excited and humbled that the FIFA Member Associations have entrusted the CONCACAF region with the honour of hosting the 2026 World Cup in its new extended format,” CONCACAF said in a statement. “Each of the United bid’s 23 proposed stadiums are fully built, occupied, and operational, ensuring long-term use following the 2026 World Cup.”
The result is a boost for FIFA president Gianni Infantino, who while he maintained neutrality during the campaign, was known to be keen to see the first expanded tournament be held in North America.
Pointers
2026 event to feature 48 teams in expanded format
CONCACAF region has projected a USD 11 billion profit for FIFA
The US to host 60 games while Canada and Mexico will host 10 each