The vote marks the first time three nations have been selected to co-host a FIFA World Cup™.
The United Bid of Canada, Mexico, and the United States was selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ earlier today by the 68th
FIFA Congress in Moscow. For the first time in history, FIFA’s Member
Associations were given the opportunity to vote on the host for the FIFA
World Cup™.
Today’s vote, which occurred a day
before the start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ in Russia, also marks the
first time three nations have been selected to co-host a FIFA World Cup™
and the first time the FIFA World Cup™ will be played in North America
in 32 years. The United Bid offers FIFA and its 211 Member Associations
unity, certainty, and opportunity as they prepare to host the largest
FIFA World Cup™ in history, which will be expanded to a 48-team format.
“Hosting
a FIFA World Cup™ is an extraordinary honor and privilege,” said Steven
Reed, President of Canada Soccer and Co-Chair of the United Bid.
“Canada, Mexico, and the United States are ready to welcome the world to
North America and serve as stewards of the largest FIFA World Cup™ in
history. Our vision is of a world of opportunity for our Candidate Host
Cities and for the global football community.”
“We are grateful
for the chance to bring to life FIFA’s new vision for the future of
football,” said Decio de Maria, President of Mexico Football Federation
and Co-Chair of the United Bid. “Together—in partnership with our
Candidate Host Cities, the Member Associations, and FIFA—we will use
this platform to unite the world around football and help create a new
and sustainable blueprint for the future of FIFA World Cups.”
“Hosting
the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ is a rare and important moment to demonstrate
that we are all truly united through sport,” said Carlos Cordeiro,
President of U.S. Soccer and Co-Chair of the United Bid. ‘We are humbled
by the trust our colleagues in the FIFA family have put in our bid;
strengthened by the unity between our three countries and the CONCACAF
region; and excited by the opportunity we have to put football on a new
and sustainable path for generations to come.”
With the FIFA
Congress decision to award the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, to the football
federations of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the three nations
will jointly manage preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ until FIFA
establishes their operations to manage the competition. Among other
decisions, FIFA will make the final selection of host cities for the
2026 competition from the 23 candidates proposed in the United Bid.
Each
of the United Bid’s 23 proposed stadiums are fully built, occupied, and
operational, ensuring long-term use following the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.
In addition, the United Bid has 150 existing world-class training
facilities, millions of hotel rooms, and advanced infrastructure. The
Bid is further expected to generate $5 billion in economic impact for
the 16 Host Cities that will be selected.
The United Bid is
expected to generate more than $14 billion in revenue and $11 billion in
profits for FIFA, which will be shared with the 211 FIFA Member
Associations, helping further develop and expand the game of football
across the globe.
2026 FIFA World Cup Facts and Figures:
Number of Teams: | 48 |
Number of Matches: | 80 |
Number of Players: | +1,100 |
Candidate Host Cites: | 23 |
Proposed Training Sites: | 150 |
Projected Revenue: | $14 billion |
Projected Profit: | $11 billion |
Projected Economic Impact: | $5 billion |
Projected Ticket Sales: | 5.8 million |
About the United Bid Committee
The
United Bid Committee was created by the football federations of Canada,
Mexico and the United States to manage the bidding process for the 2026
FIFA World Cup™.