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MARTIN ROGERS
World Cup

United States in danger of losing World Cup bid to Morocco

What if the biggest and most painful upset in United States soccer history isn't the loss in Trinidad and Tobago in October that cost it a World Cup place? What if it is still to come?

A three-country bid of the United States, Canada and Mexico is going against Morocco to host the 2026 World Cup.

If there is one thing that has made the American soccer community feel fractionally better about the men’s national team’s absence from this summer grand global tournament, it is the idea that hosting the event in 2026 is a lock.

The problem is, that it isn’t. Not any longer.

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On June 13, a day before the World Cup begins, soccer bureaucrats from around the planet will meet in Moscow to cast a vote. They will be selecting which nation or nations gets to stage the 2026 World Cup, which has boiled down to a fight between a three-pronged bid from USA/Mexico/Canada against an underdog campaign from the North African nation of Morocco.

The triple-headed bid has been an overwhelming favorite since it launched in April but has recently lost ground. According to multiple news media outlets from around the world, several factors have combined to boost Morocco’s chances, at the expense of the effort that would see the U.S. host 60 out of 80 games.

An executive from a national federation with FIFA voting rights told USA TODAY Sports that the North American bid is suffering because it is not seen as equally divided among the three countries, while Morroco has been "smart" and "has an answer for everything." 

The executive was not authorized to speak publicly and thus requested anonymity.

Other issues impacting North American prospects that are mentioned around the globe include the incendiary presidency of Donald Trump, high-profile gun violence in the U.S., the forceful manner in which U.S. authorities have sought to crack down on FIFA corruption, the fact that the U.S. hosted a World Cup as recently as 1994 and a raft of logistical factors.

The biggest pluses for the three-way bid are rooted in finance. It is widely agreed that a World Cup in 2026 staged primarily in the U.S., with a suggested 10 games going to both Canada and Mexico, would be the most profitable in history.

Infrastructure is not an issue, with world class airports and stadiums capable of comfortably shouldering the burden of a tournament that increases to 48 for the 2026 edition.

But Morocco is effectively playing the role of spoiler, and to this point, is doing it well. For each highlight USA/Mexico/Canada puts forward, it has a convincing counterpoint.

For example, splitting the tournament into three countries is a nice idea that reaches a huge area and fan base. Yet Morocco’s bid implies that such a framework would be unwieldy, and inconvenient for fans. Its focus on extolling the compact nature of a Moroccan-based tournament, where most travel would be by rail or short commuter flight, is no accident.

The U.S. in particular, has a swath of big cities with giant stadiums ready to serve as one of the host venues. Morocco has instead picked its locations to correlate to major tourist sites of historical significance or natural beauty, and is putting forward a more aesthetic and cultural spiel.

Morocco is also making a big play of the fact that it is on the same time zone as Western Europe and Africa, which accounts for a huge chunk of soccer’s global audience and will feature at least 25 teams in the competition.

All things considered, the USA/Mexico/Canada bid is clearly stronger on its merits, but that doesn’t always mean a lot in the weird and wacky world of FIFA. If regional voting packs stick together (Africa has 54 votes) and there is enough anti-U.S. feeling to steer some soccer politicos down a different path, then the tough times for American soccer may continue.

 

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