For the first time in the tournament’s history, three nations will hold the FIFA World Cup.
FIFA member nations overwhelmingly voted on Wednesday to award the 2026 World Cup to the United States, Mexico and Canada. North America last hosted the tournament in 1994 in the United States, and in 1986 and 1970 in Mexico.
The three-nation contingency received 134 during the annual FIFA congress held in Moscow, while Morocco received 65 votes. The 2026 tournament will also an expanded field of 48 teams, compared to the the current field of 32.
Of the 80 matches in the 2026 tournament, 60 will be played in the U.S., including the championship game at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey. Mexico will host 10 matches, as will Canada.
Carlos Cordeiro, the president of U.S. Soccer, told the FIFA members in a short speech after the vote, “Thank you for the incredible privilege. Football today is the only victor.”
Supporters of the North American bid pointed to the existing infrastructure (stadiums, hotels, transportation, etc.) already in place in the three nations to support a tournament of that size. Morocco, on the other hand, would essentially need to construct most if the infrastructure for the tournament in the eight years leading up to the event.
According to the North American proposal, the 2026 tournament would net a record $11 billion profit, including as much as $50 million for each national association.
Wednesday vote provide at least one victory for the U.S. this year as its team failed to qualify for the World Cup that begins Thursday.
