USA, Mexico & Canada Announce Joint Bid for 2026 World Cup
- Updated: April 10, 2017
From the 102nd and top floor of the One World Trade Center in Manhattan, the soccer federations of United States, Canada and Mexico announced their intention to formally submit a unified bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Monday.
The three nations have hosted 13 FIFA World Cups combined (Men’s, Women’s and Youth), which is more than any other trio of geographically connected nations, and set attendance records for five of those events.
“This is a milestone day for U.S. Soccer and for CONCACAF,” Gulati said in a release from U.S. Soccer on Monday. “We gave careful consideration to the prospect of bidding for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and ultimately feel strongly this is the right thing for our region and for our sport. Along with our partners from the Canadian Soccer Association and the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol, we are confident that we will submit an exemplary bid worthy of bringing the FIFA World Cup back to North America.”
The last Men’s World Cup hosted in North America was the 1994 tournament, which shattered attendance records despite not having a proper first-division league at the time. Mexico hosted the 1986 World Cup while Canada hosted the 2015 Women’s World Cup.
Locally, Boston served as a host city for the 1994 World Cup (Foxboro Stadium) and the 1999 and 2003 Women’s World Cups (Foxboro Stadium and Gillette Stadium, respectively).
The 2026 World Cup will be the first with the expanded 48-team format, requiring facilities and infrastructure that Gulati believes the three countries are uniquely suited to fulfill.
“The United States, Mexico and Canada have individually demonstrated their exceptional abilities to host world-class events,” Gulati said. When our nations come together as one, as we will for 2026, there is no question the United States, Mexico and Canada will deliver an experience that will celebrate the game and serve players, supporters and partners alike.”
FIFA will make a determination on the host for the 2026 tournament in 2020.