Even before the 2018 World Cup begins, all eyes will be on who will win the rights to host the footballing extravaganza in 2026.
The wait of four years has finally come to an end. In 2014, Germany were in sublime form throughout the tournament. A late winner from Mario Götze saw his side lift the World Cup in Brazil.
This year proves to be even more exciting and Russia are well prepared to give us the best tournament.
On 13th June, the FIFA Congress will meet for the 68th time to decide on the host of the 2026 World Cup.
211 delegates representing their nation will chose between the two bids placed by CAF and CONCACAF nations.
2026 will see the introduction of 48-team World Cup and the number of matches will also increase to 80.
CONCACAF – USA, Canada and Mexico
The three countries wanted to place bids of their own. But on 10 April 2017, the trio will be making a joint bid for hosting the 2026 World Cup.
Mexico and Canada would be hosting 10 games each. While United States would host the remaining 60 matches, including all games from quarterfinals.
If they win the vote, this will be the first time that the World Cup will be played in three nations.
Mexico will also becomes the first nation to host three World Cups after 1970 and 1986. Canada and USA will be hosting the World Cup for the first and second time respectively.
CAF – Morocco
On 11 August 2017, Morocco announced that they will be placing a bid to host the 2026 World Cup.
The African nation has successfully hosted the 2013 and 2014 edition of the FIFA Club World Cup as well as the 2018 African Nations Champions.
If Morocco win the vote, they will become the second African nation (after South Africa 2010) and second Arab country (after Qatar 2022) to host the world tournament.
Prediction
Both the bids are very strong on table. USA-Canada-Mexico have a strong infrastructure that can handle the difficulties of hosting such a mega event.
On the other hand, Morocco or Africa in general are known to provide some of the best atmosphere for a sporting event.
There are a lot of complications in how three countries will host an event. Travel is a main concern for the teams. Morocco have a slight advantage at this stage, but nothing is set in stone.
Next: Tottenham and Arsenal set for transfer tuffle
Who do you think will land the 2026 World Cup hosting rights?