Morocco 2026 and United 2026 will present their bids for the 2026 World Cup at the AIPS Congress in Brussels on May 8. Hicham El Amrani, bid CEO of Morocco 2026, and bid co-chair Carlos Cordeiro, US Soccer President, Decio de Maria, FMF President and Peter Montopoli, Canada Soccer Association General Secretary will attend the congress to make the case for their countries’ bid to host the biggest football tournament on the planet in eight years time.
With little more than a month left until the FIFA Congress in Moscow, the temperature is rising in the corridors of would-be World Cup power. Morocco may be considered as outsiders in terms of infrastructure, venues and financial potential but believe that they have a strong vote-gathering potential in their own African continent (Gambia the latest to confirm) as well as Asia (most recently Myanmar), southern and eastern Europe and even in the Caribbean.
El Amrani has repeatedly stated that the Moroccan bid is in it to win. In the past El Amrani was the secretary general of CAF, the Confederation of African Football. His political clout will be required for Morocco to challenge the United 2026 bid, driven by the United States with Mexico and Canada as junior partners.
Last month a five-man evaluation task force from world federation FIFA spent five days assessing the strengths and weaknesses of both bids. They will report to council members ahead of a scheduled vote in the FIFA congress in Moscow on June 13, when the governing body’s members will decide the hosting rights of the 2026 World Cup.
Morocco is bidding for a fifth time. They are planning 12 hosts cities and 12 stadiums. The African continent has hosted the World Cup just once – in South Africa in 2010. The United States last hosted the World Cup in 1994. Brazil won the tournament as bumper crowds flocked to the venues across the States during the finals.
The United States, Mexico and Canada are proposing to jointly stage the World Cup as the tournament will be played for the first time in its expanded 48-team format. The United 2026 bid book estimates that ticketing revenue might reach $2.1 billion. The Morocco bid book forecasts overall revenues of $785 million from ticket sales. Apart from the revenue-generating potential, United 2026 can also boast hyper-developed infrastructure.
Both presentations will offer journalists a chance to widen their understanding of the two bigs, but also to query about problems that may be of concern to journalists
