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2026 World Cup: ‘United’ North American bid wins vote against Morocco
Canada, Mexico and the United States will host the World Cup in eight years’ time
North America will host the 2026 Fifa World Cup after the joint bid from Canada, Mexico and the United States won the official vote against rival Morocco.
Announced today in Moscow at the 68th Fifa Congress, the “United 2026” bid had 134 votes from delegates compared to 65 for Morocco. One vote - from Iran - was cast for “none of the bids”.
The football associations of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland all voted for the United campaign.
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Speaking at the Fifa Congress after the result, US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro said: “It’s a bit emotional for us today. Thank you so, so very much for this incredible honour. Thank you for entrusting us with the privilege of hosting the Fifa World Cup in 2026. The beautiful game transcends borders and cultures. Football today is the only victor.”
In a joint statement Cordeiro, Canada Soccer president Steve Reed and Mexican FA president Decio de Maria thanked supporters. The statement said: “Canada, Mexico and the United States have been granted the honour of hosting the world’s most extraordinary sporting event for many reasons, but one of the biggest was because of the passion of our fans across our three countries.
“Yes, you had a major impact! Your enthusiasm - not just for your own teams, but for teams from all over the world - helped us demonstrate to Fifa and football federations across the globe that we will be able to deliver the absolute best experience for players and fans in 2026.”
US President Donald Trump, who wants to build a wall on the US-Mexican border, tweeted: “The U.S., together with Mexico and Canada, just got the World Cup. Congratulations - a great deal of hard work!”
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Mexico (1970 and 1986) and the US (1994) have previously hosted World Cups but this will be the first time the tournament will be shared by three hosts.
For Morocco this is the fifth time the north African nation has bid, and failed, to win the right to host a World Cup finals.
How the 2026 World Cup will work
The 2026 Fifa World Cup is set to be the biggest ever with 48 teams, the BBC reports, and the three nations will host 80 matches over 34 days.
Of the 80 games, 60 will be held in the US while ten matches will each be played in Canada and Mexico. Sky Sports reports that the final will be held at the 84,953-capacity MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. The MetLife Stadium is home to New York NFL teams the Giants and Jets.
There will be 16 host cities: ten in the US and three each in Canada and Mexico.
