North American World Cup still not a done deal

The North American bid to stage the 2026 World Cup seems like a sure thing. From stadiums and infrastructure to commercial opportunities and organizational experience, the joint effort by Canada, the United States and Mexico appears to meet all the necessary requirements.

The proposal would mesh almost a half- billion people from three countries that have put on 12 FIFA tournaments ( men and women, senior and youth). With European and Asian countries ineligible to bid and South America waiting for 2030, the only challenger is Morocco, a country of similar size and population to California.

As the sides finalize their bids ahead of the deadline of March 16, 2018, there is growing concern in some U. S. circles that a North American victory celebration after the FIFA vote June 13 in Moscow is not as certain as once thought.

The reasons have nothing to do with the credentials of the North American bid or the likelihood the tournament would fill both stadiums and coffers. Rather, they stem from a precipitous decline in U. S. popularity around the world and, to a smaller extent, the fact the American judicial system took the lead in prosecuting FIFA scandals.

“We expect Morocco to put together a very good bid,” said Sunil Gulati, the outgoing U. S. Soccer Federation president who chairs the united bid committee on behalf of the North American effort. “This isn’t going to be a computer-generated program that spits out an answer about what the best bid is. So we’ve got to campaign.”

The inclusion of Mexico and Canada should broaden the bid’s appeal. Of the 80 matches, 60 would take place in U.S. venues and 10 apiece in the other two countries. The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 teams, an increase of 16.

Morocco is bidding for the fifth time after failed attempts to host the 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 tournaments.