On Monday afternoon, the presidents of the United States, Canadian and Mexican Soccer Federations made an official announcement at the World Trade Center in New York City regarding a joint bid to tri-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Historical announcement
It will be the first tournament with the expansion from 32 teams to 48 and, if successful, would be the first time a World Cup has been shared by three hosts. Since 1998 and until 2022, the FIFA World Cup had 32 teams compete in the biggest soccer tournament in the world and with the addition of 16 new teams, comes a proposal made by the three CONCACAF nations.
The proposal would be for the United States to host 60 matches, with 10 games each in Canada and Mexico. "The United States, Mexico, and Canada have individually demonstrated their exceptional abilities to host world-class events," said U.S Soccer president Sunil Gulati. "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."
The president of the American federation also said that following the quarterfinals, all the matches will be played on American soil. The official announcement will not be made by FIFA until 2020.
What to expect
If also successful, it would be the first World Cup in the United States since 1994, where Brazil defeated Italy on penalties at the Rose Bowl and broke the World Cup average attendance record with nearly 69,000 spectators per game, a mark that still stands today. Canada would host the FIFA World Cup for the first time, having previous experience hosting the FIFA Women's World Cup in 2015 and the U20 World Cup in 2007.
Finally, Mexico would become the first nation to host three FIFA World Cups, having previously hosted in 1970 and 1986 where Brazil and Argentina defeated Italy and West Germany respectively at the Estadio Azteca.
The new-look tournament will begin with an initial round of 16 three-team groups, with 32 qualifiers going through to the knockout stage.