The Press and Journal (Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire)
North American dream realised with 2026 win
Staging the 2026 World Cup in North America will be “transformative” for football in the region and worldwide, the leaders of the joint bid said after their crushing win over Morocco.
Canada, Mexico and the United States defied predictions of a close race at the 68th Fifa Congress by claiming two thirds of the votes, winning 134 to 65.
US Soccer Federation boss Carlos Cordeiro, one of the United bid’s three co-chairs, was almost in tears when the result was revealed on the giant screen in Moscow’s Expocentre and told reporters afterwards it was “a hugely emotional moment” for the entire team.
“Bringing the World Cup back to North America will be transformative for soccer in my county and Canada and Mexico,” said Cordeiro.
“It will more than reengage the grassroots game, it will revolutionise it. We have 3.5million registered players in my country and I would like to see that double or treble.
“We want soccer to be the pre-eminent game in the US and that goal matches the demographic changes in the country that already unfolding.
“But this wasn’t a vote at the United Nations - it was a football vote and the member associations did what is best for the game.”
While Cordeiro and his colleagues have spent the last few months extolling their bid’s numerous strengths, the reality is there are 11 billion reasons why United beat Morocco, as that is the projected profit in dollars, a return that is distributed to Fifa’s 211 members.
Morocco, which has now lost five World Cup bids, could only offer half as much.
With dozens of large, world-class venues to choose from, access to the world’s richest sports market and no need to build anything, the United bid also scored well on Fifa’s technical assessment.
The Moroccan team looked devastated when the defeat’s extent was revealed and they left the scene quickly – but not before Moroccan FA boss Fouzi Lekjaa magnanimously congratulated the North Americans and wished them well.