North America ‘united’ for 2026 World Cup

MOSCOW — The United States, Mexico and Canada overcame worries about political hostility and won their bid to welcome the globe for the FIFA World Cup in 2026.

“United 2026” promised to bring the world’s game to 16 cities in North America, with New York/New Jersey cited as a potential venue.

The tripartite bid was expected to easily cruise to victory when it was announced last April, though received surprising competition from Morocco.

At the vote Wednesday in Moscow the United vote received 134 votes compared to Morocco’s 65.

“Thank you for entrusting us with this privilege,” U.S. Soccer Federation President Carlos Cordeiro told the congress. “The beautiful game transcends borders and cultures.”

Questions had been raised about the visa policies of President Trump, who promised to ban Muslims from visiting the U.S., though he wrote repeatedly to FIFA President Gianni Infantino this spring saying that hardline visa policies would not apply to the World Cup.

American, Canadian and Mexican officials tried to entice FIFA with a suspected profit of $11 billion from the tournament and the fact that its stadiums are built, rather than the massive infrastructure project needed by Morocco.

The arrival of the World Cup in the United States was cheered by those in the American soccer world, who compared it to the 1994 tournament credited with spurring U.S. interest in the sport.