Will the 2026 FIFA World Cup be held in North America or Morocco?
On Wednesday morning, FIFA鈥檚 member associations will vote on the location of the 2026 tournament, just a day before the 2018 World Cup begins in Russia.
Only two bids have made it to the final vote, which will be held during the in Moscow: and a joint application from Canada, the United States and Mexico that has been dubbed the .
Both Morocco and the United Bid group have been lobbying hard in advance of Wednesday鈥檚 vote, which will see more than publicly cast ballots to determine the host.
From tiny Bhutan to soccer titans like Brazil, FIFA鈥檚 member associations represent nearly every nation on the planet. Each association鈥檚 vote, moreover, carries the same weight. Only the four countries vying to host the tournament won鈥檛 be allowed to participate.
By looking at criteria such as stadiums, accommodation options and organizing costs, FIFA鈥檚 recently released graded both the United Bid and Morocco, giving North America a commanding score of 4.0 out of 5.0 and the North African country a middling 2.7.
But although the United Bid dramatically outperformed 惭辞谤辞肠肠辞鈥檚 in FIFA鈥檚 eyes, the vote could really go either way. A 2010 vote by FIFA鈥檚 executive committee awarded the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 World Cup to Qatar, despite arguably stronger bids from other potential hosts. That vote was also mired by accusations of bribery and corruption that have shaken the soccer world and sparked several criminal probes. In the wake of the controversy, FIFA opened up the voting process for the 2026 tournament.
According to , 21 national member associations, including most African nations, have committed to 惭辞谤辞肠肠辞鈥檚 bid while 28, representing most of the Americas, are publicly supporting the United Bid.
The North American bid includes a list of 23 potential host cities, comprising Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton, three cities in Mexico and 17 in the U.S. Ten matches have been proposed to take place in both Canada and Mexico, with the remaining 60 -- including the final and all semi-final games -- to take place in the U.S. If the United Bid is successful, FIFA will choose 16 of the 23 proposed cities to host games during the tournament.
According to the FIFA report, 惭辞谤辞肠肠辞鈥檚 bid is marked by high risks relating to its stadiums, accommodation and transportation infrastructure. No aspect of the North American bid was deemed to be high risk. Morocco would also have to build nine new venues and renovate five more to host the tournament, while North America would only need to conduct renovations at six of its 23 proposed venues, including the Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
鈥淭he amount of new infrastructure required for the Morocco 2026 bid to become reality cannot be overstated,鈥� the report said. 鈥淎ll 23 of the stadiums proposed within the United 2026 Bid Book have already been built and are fully operational.鈥�
Morocco has projected that the World Cup would cost it US$1.87 billion while North America鈥檚 projected cost is US$2.16 billion. Despite the larger bill, North America is also anticipating revenue of US$14.3 billion if it hosts the tournament, compared to US$7.2 billion for Morocco.
The 2026 World Cup will also see the tournament expanded from 32 to 48 teams.
Held every four years, the 88-year-old tournament is the most important event in international soccer.
While the U.S. and Mexico have separately hosted the World Cup before, Morocco and Canada have not. Of the four nations, only Morocco and Mexico qualified to compete in this year鈥檚 tournament. Canada鈥檚 men鈥檚 national soccer team has not qualified for the World Cup since 1986.
