US hopes for 2026 World Cup grow as FIFA sets out bidding criteria

14 October 2016 15:38

The United States' hopes of hosting the 2026 World Cup - either alone or with a co-host - have been boosted by a FIFA decision to initially rule out bids from Asia and Europe.

A decision on where the competition will be staged will not be made until May 2020 but the FIFA Council has now ruled that member associations from the same confederations of the hosts of the 2018 and 2022 World Cups cannot bid for 2026.

A bid from Europe, however, might be considered if none of the received bids from eligible confederations meet FIFA's beefed-up financial and technical requirements. As things stand, only Kazakhstan has expressed any interest in bringing the 2026 tournament back to Europe.

But it is very unlikely that the US bid - whether it is a solo bid or joint venture with Canada, Mexico or both - will fail to meet FIFA's check list.

The prospect of that bid involving one or both of America's neighbours also looks more likely now as the council approved "the general principle that co-hosting of the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be permitted, not limited to a specific number, but evaluated on a case-by-case basis".

The US staged the World Cup in 1994 while, if part of a successful bid, Mexico would become the first country to host the tournament three times, having hosted the 1970 and 1986 editions.

Taking Asia out of the equation for 2026 also makes a Chinese bid for the following World Cup more likely, particularly as the "two-tournament block" on bids from confederations that have had recent World Cups is unlikely to be in place for 2030.

Among the other announcements confirmed on the second and final day of the new council's second ever meeting, was the confirmation that the next meeting will be in Zurich on January 9, when the more pressing decision of how many teams will be in the 2026 World Cup will be reached.

On Thursday, FIFA president Gianni Infantino told reporters that there was a "positive feeling" behind his intention to expand the tournament from its current 32 teams to either 40 or 48 teams.

Also in Zurich on January 9, FIFA will hold its Football Awards, with the next gathering of all 211 member associations at the 67th Congress in Bahrain on May 11, 2017.

Source: PA