AMIGOS BID FOR WORLD CUP
CANADA, UNITED STATES, AND MEXICO LAUNCH AMBITIOUS JOINT BID TO HOST 2026 FIFA TOURNAMENT.
AKurtis Larson in Toronto World Cup bid was revealed Monday in t he United States.
And the fact Mexico will help pay for it apparently was enough to get U. S. President Donald Trump on board.
“The president is fully supportive and has encouraged us,” United States Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati said. “He’s excited Mexico is part of this bid.”
Canada, Mexico and the U. S. finally officially revealed their longawaited mega-bid to co-host the FIFA Men’s World Cup in 2026.
An agreement between the three CONCACAF nations would see the U. S. host 75 per cent of the 80-game, 48-team tournament, with both Canada and Mexico hosting 10 fixtures each.
Gulati added the proposal to FIFA would see the quarter- finals, semifinals, third-place game and World Cup final all played in American stadiums.
“We think with 80 games and a qualifying tournament, we have an ability to play at far more venues than has ever been the case,” Gulati added.
The only other co- hosted World Cup was played in 20 stadiums across South Korea and Japan in 2002. By comparison, the 2014 World Cup featured 12 venues in Brazil.
“We’re in favour of more venues than less,” Gulati added — a signal matches in Canada could be spread across stadiums beyond those located in Toronto and Vancouver.
Canadian Soccer Association president Victor Montagliani added that the expectation is for all three potential host nations to automatically qualify for the tournament.
“I think you already know our position,” the CSA’s top boss added, noting that qualification eventually will be decided in conjunction with FIFA.
While the U.S. remained front and centre during Monday’s press event in New York City, Montagliani was asked to address Canada’s lack of World Cup-ready venues.
Toronto’s BMO Field — home of Major League Soccer’s Toronto FC — is the only multi-purpose stadium in Canada currently outfitted with a natural-grass playing surface.
Montagliani was reminded of the controversy that brewed two summers ago when FIFA permitted Canada to stage the women’s tournament entirely on artificial turf.
“We haven’t discussed any of that,” Montagliani said. “It’s FIFA’s decision ... Every men’s World Cup has been played on grass. I’d assume this will be the same.”
Montagliani told Postmedia that FIFA likely would award Canada anywhere from two to six host cities to stage its 10 World Cup games.
He likened the Canadian soccer landscape as being similar to where the U. S. was before it was awarded the 1994 World Cup — which saw soccer take off in the States.
In some ways, the growth of soccer in Canada hinges on the success of the mega-bid, which will be voted on by or before 2020.
“We still have to get this World Cup, but if that happens in the next while, then we’ ll have a north star,” Montagliani told Postmedia. “It’s an event second to none.
“The U. S. was at the same point we are now 20 years ago in terms of changing the game into a real professional entity. If we get the tournament it will accelerate the process.”
As of now, the process is quite simple as there are no competing bids to speak of. Montagliani agreed it’s a “possibility” that no other nations will attempt to host in 2026.
“That’s not to say there won’t be,” he said, reminding Postmedia that nations from the AFC ( Asia) and UEFA (Europe) can’t bid to host 2026 due to the 2018 and 2022 World Cups being staged in Russia and Qatar, respectively. That leaves members from CONMEBOL ( South America), CAF ( Africa) and OFC ( Oceania) as the only other options.
WE HAVE AN ABILITY TO PLAY AT FAR MORE VENUES THAN EVER.