Gulati: The USA is not discussing joint World Cup bid with Mexico

Last week, reports surfaced that the United States Soccer Federation was in talks with Mexico to launch a joint bid for the 2026 World Cup. ESPN reported on Friday that a USSF official had spoken with a Mexican official about the idea of a joint bid.

However, USSF president, Sunil Gulati, has told the LA Times that a decision on launching a solo bid for the 2026 World Cup won't be made until October when the rules for the process are announced. And completely ruled out the idea that the two countries have been discussing a joint bid.

"We haven't made a decision about the [2026] World Cup. Until we know what the rules are of the bid process -- which won't be until October at the earliest -- we're not going to be making a decision," he said. "And we certainly haven't had any formal discussions with the Mexican federation at this point."

-Sunil Gulati; Source: LA Times

When the original report surfaced it seemed odd considering both countries have the resources to host a huge tournament on their own and don't need to rely on one another. Gulati's comments seem to suggest that the USA will not be partnering with Mexico for a bid. We'll have to wait and see just how the USSF will approach their World Cup bid this time.