WORLD CUP IS COMING TO CANADA IN 2026
Canada to co-host 2026 event with United States and Mexico
The World Cup is coming to Canada.
FIFA’s member associations voted 134 to 65, with one novote, Wednesday in favour of the joint North American bid by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico to host the 2026 World Cup over that of Morocco at the FIFA Congress in Moscow.
“Football today is the only victor,” said U.S. Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro.
Morocco, which has now lost five bid campaigns, was classy in defeat - congratulating the North American winners.
Mexico has twice hosted the World Cup, in 1970 and 1986. The U.S. hosted in 1994.
Canada failed in its lone previous bid - to host the 1986 tournament after Colombia pulled out as host. That remains the only World Cup the Canadian men have ever qualified for.
The hosting decision likely opens the door to Canada finally returning to the men’s world stage - a widely expected scenario as co-host that has yet to be officially confirmed. But with the tournament expanding from 32 to 48 teams in 2026, tripling the hosts would not cause as many ripples.
Officials have already talked of staging three games, one in each of the three countries, to kick off the tournament.
Steven Reed, president of the Canadian Soccer Association, called the FIFA Congress decision “an extraordinary honour and privilege.”
CONCACAF, whose president - Canadian Victor Montagliani
- played a key role in the bid, called the vote a “monumental victory” for the confederation that covers North and Central America and the Caribbean.
The current blueprint calls for Canada and Mexico to stage 10 games each with the U.S. hosting 60. But that is not carved in stone.
Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal are Canadian candidate host cities for the men’s soccer showcase, expanded to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament.
FIFA will select up to 16 host cities from the 23 candidates proposed in the North American bid.
The mayors of two of Canada’s host cities celebrated the early-morning announcement on Twitter.
Both Valerie Plante of Montreal and John Tory of Toronto retweeted a video of the bid team reacting to the news, with Tory adding, “”We won! The 2026 World Cup is coming to Canada, the U.S. & Mexico!“
Vancouver will watch from the sidelines after the B.C. government, citing concerns over the possible costs of being a host city, was unable to come to terms with the bid committee. Chicago and Minneapolis also withdrew, citing similar worries.
FIFA’s hosting selection process was revamped in the wake of recent scandals enveloping the world governing body of soccer.
All of FIFA’s 211 member associations - save the bidding countries - were eligible to take part in the electronic vote. In the past, only members of what was then the FIFA executive committee decided via secret ballot. FIFA president Gianni Infantino called the new voting procedure a “thorough, transparent” process.
The two rivals bids each got 15 minutes to make one last pitch Wednesday, with the North American bid going first.