CONCACAF looks set to push for a USA, Mexico, Canada co-hosted 2026 World Cup
The heads of CONCACAF are standing firmly behind the idea of the 2026 World Cup being hosted by the United States, Mexico and Canada. CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani said he favored the three countries co-hosting last week and now CONCACAF general secretary Philippe Moggio is pushing it too.
"It's still too early to decide on feasibility," Moggio told ESPN Deportes. "However, we have three countries in our region, with Mexico, the United States and Canada, which have a better chance of matching the requirements together, not only when it comes to logistics, but also competitive level."
Thus far, the U.S. has not committed to bidding on the 2026 World Cup in any capacity. They have said that they will wait until FIFA decides on the requirements and process. Canada has been coy as well, while Mexico has stated their intention to bid, be it alone or part of a joint bid.
Part of Moggio's belief that a joint bid would be successful is the expanded size of the tournament. FIFA has decided to expand the 2026 World Cup to 48 teams, which means more matches, more venues and more cities.
"No matter where it's going to be played, the fact the World Cup is getting larger in terms of nations playing the tournament, will involve the fact there will be a need for more stadiums to be played in," said Moggio.
"There aren't many countries in the world which can say they will have no problems in hosting this kind of competition. This makes co-hosting bids, such as the one in our region and with three countries involved, more feasible."
Moggio is correct in that the expanded World Cup will make it impossible for some countries to host the tournament alone, making joint bids more attractive. But the problem is that the United States is one country that would have no problem hosting the expanded World Cup solo. They have enough stadiums and cities with proper infrastructure to host a World Cup with 48 teams, maybe even 64 teams.
A joint bid may be the only way Canada can host a World Cup now, and Mexico could be in the same boat, but any joint bid is contingent on the U.S. agreeing to get involved too. Convincing them to share a tournament they can host alone is going to be tough, though.
