World Cup 2026: FIFA approves fast-tracking North America host bid

Soccer's world governing body on Thursday approved a plan to fast-track the 2026 World Cup host bidding process, pushing forward a U.S.-led effort for North America to host the quadrennial event.

An overwhelming 93 percent of the 209 voting members at FIFA's Congress in Manama, Bahrain, approved the 2026 plan, FIFA announced.

The plan sets an Aug. 11 deadline for other nations to express interest in hosting the 2026 World Cup and a timeline under which the United States, Canada and Mexico could officially land the host rights as early as June 2018.

The 2018 World Cup is scheduled to be played in Russia and the 2022 event was awarded to Qatar.

U.S. Soccer president Sunil Gulati admitted to ESPNFC.com that it's hard not to think about how American soccer fans might react to the World Cup returning to the U.S. for the first time since 1994.

"In a way, we weren't really a sophisticated soccer country in 1994," Gulati said. "We've had such growth since then. … It's a great focal point, a vision for everyone connected to the game. And maybe also for the men's national team, where we can dream about what might happen at that tournament."

In a related story, ESPNFC.com reported that the next step as a North American bid gathers momentum might be a meeting involving U.S. President Donald Trump.

The purpose: to assure others that there are no stumbling blocks among the North American bidders, a nod to Trump's ongoing push to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico.

Gulati reiterated at a news conference Wednesday in Bahrain that Trump previously has communicated his approval of the joint Cup bid.

"The president is fully supportive," Gulati said. "My guess is that in the not-too-distant future you'll see further confirmation of that from Washington, and in Washington."



[Sporting News]