BOGOTA – The members of the FIFA world football association decide on 13 June at the Moscow Congress where the World Cup of 2026 will be held.
They have the choice of Morocco and a joint ‘bid’ from Canada, the United States and Mexico. ,, No other candidates have joined, ” said FIFA president Gianni Infantino after a board meeting in Colombia. “We are going to visit these countries and see if they meet the requirements, so we will make a decision at the congress prior to the World Cup in Russia.”
If the two candidates do not meet the conditions, countries from Europe and Asia may also apply. These continents are currently excluded because they house the next two World Cups.
For the first time, the 211 countries affiliated to FIFA are allowed to determine where the global final round will be held. Previously, a select group of board members did so during a secret ballot. FIFA’s intention with the strongly modified formula is to prevent the reallocation of the WC from being surrounded by the smell of bribery and corruption, as in 2010 when the 2018 and 2022 World Championships were awarded in a shadowy vote to Russia and Qatar respectively. Partly because of this, the former FIFA summit, with Sepp Blatter as the big boss, has since disappeared.
The vote is now public, which means that FIFA reveals the choices of all countries. At the World Cup of 2026, no less than 48 countries may participate, sixteen more than now. Never before has the global football tournament been held in three countries. Morocco hopes to organize the World Cup after South Africa (2010) as the second African country.