FIFA Announces US, Canada and Mexico as 2026 World Cup Hosts

FIFA, the world governing body of football, announced on Wednesday that the 2026 World Cup would be jointly hosted by the US, Canada and Mexico. This will be the first time in the history of the World Cup that three nations have hosted the competition, and the announcement comes at a very interesting time in the political relationship between these nations as well. From the moment he stepped on the campaign trail, Donald Trump has cried out against illegal immigration from Mexico, expressing his wish to have Mexico build a wall that will prevent the inflow of its citizens into the United States. More recently, as President of the United States, Donald Trump has set off a trade dispute with Canada by imposing tariffs on the steel and aluminium that the US imports from its neighbour to the north. These and a host of other statements and actions by him have led to a diplomatic cooling between these three countries.

Following the announcement, both Canada and Mexico have expressed interest in working with their common neighbour to make these games a success. On the eve of the Russia 2018 World Cup, which begins today with an opening ceremony at 13:00 GMT at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, all three future host nations have agreed to making their projection of 11 billion dollars profit for FIFA a reality. If realized, this would be the biggest earnings from a World Cup tournament by the governing body in its entire history. In the wake of financial scandals that rocked FIFA in 2015, it is imperative that the present and future editions of the World Cup will offer the regaining of credibility in the organization that governs this popular sport.

Prior to the vote to elect a host for the 2026 World Cup, US President Donald Trump had warned other nations not to vote against the joint “United Bid” that his country was entering, threatening backlash in the form of trade deal consequences. The other main contender for host was Morocco, which lost to the United Bid by gaining only 65 votes, while the latter garnered 135 votes.