North America will host the 2026 World Cup after FIFA voters overwhelmingly opted for the financial and logistical certainty of a United States-led bid over a risky Moroccan proposal for the first 48-team tournament. The U.S. proposed staging 60 out of the 80 games in 2026, when 16 teams will be added to the finals, leaving Canada and Mexico with ten matches each.
'The U.S., together with Mexico and Canada, just got the World Cup,' President Donald Trump wrote on Twitter. 'Congratulations - a great deal of hard work!'
The announcement comes at a time when Trump has been trying to renegotiate the North American Free Trade Agreement with both Canada and Mexico. White House economic advisor Larry Kudlow, who recently suffered a minor heart attack, has said Trump seeks to replace NAFTA with two separate bilateral deals - something Canada and Mexico say they oppose.
The main intervention by Trump on behalf of the North American bid was a warning in a White House news conference, discussing the FIFA vote, that he would be 'watching very closely.' It was a veiled threat to withhold U.S. support from countries opposing the bid.
North Korea's representative voted in favor of Morocco's bid despite the recent meeting between Trump and Kim Jong Un. Russia, which will host the 2018 World Cup opener on Thursday, did vote for the North American bid.