North American 2026 World Cup bid outscores Morocco’s

LAUSANNE: The North American bid for the 2026 World Cup outscored Morocco’s, but both will be considered by FIFA to host the showpiece tournament.

FIFA confirmed Friday both bids had passed the evaluation ahead of a decision being made June 13.

But the bid from the United States, Canada and Mexico received a better score than Morocco.

The United 2026 bid was given a score of four out of five, while Morocco 2026 managed a 2.7.

“As FIFA’s flagship tournament, taking place only every four years, the FIFA World Cup also acts as a hub of sporting innovation, with a responsibility to push new boundaries in terms of sports-related technology and engagement,” part of the report read.

“The United 2026 bid has a clear lead in this area, with all major infrastructure already in place, allowing FIFA to focus on a number of exciting initiatives relating to sports science, fan engagement, multimedia interaction and other new forms of digitalisation.

“The amount of new infrastructure required for the Morocco 2026 bid to become reality cannot be overstated.

“While this is covered in the report in regard to many of the bid’s individual components, the Bid Evaluation Task Force considers it its duty to emphasise the significant overall risk, on a compounded basis, of a bid that has so many facilities (from stadiums and training sites to major transport infrastructure and accommodation projects) that would need to be built or completely renovated.”

The report also said the United 2026 bid had forecast revenues of $14.3 billion, compared to Morocco’s $7.2 billion.