USA, Mexico, Canada announce 2026 World Cup joint bid

The three largest countries in CONCACAF are coming together in hopes of bringing world soccer’s biggest event to their part of the globe. At a press conference on Monday afternoon in New York City, the USA, Mexico, and Canada soccer federations officially announced their intention of submitting a joint bid to co-host the 2026 World Cup.

"This is a milestone day for U.S. Soccer and for CONCACAF," Gulati said. "We gave careful consideration to the prospect of bidding for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and ultimately feel strongly this is the right thing for our region and for our sport. Along with our partners from the Canadian Soccer Association and the Federación Mexicana de Fútbol, we are confident that we will submit an exemplary bid worthy of bringing the FIFA World Cup back to North America. The United States, Mexico and Canada have individually demonstrated their exceptional abilities to host world-class events. When our nations come together as one, as we will for 2026, there is no question the United States, Mexico and Canada will deliver an experience that will celebrate the game and serve players, supporters and partners alike."

With the 2026 edition of the World Cup being the first ever expanded to 48 teams, a North American co-hosting situation could give them the edge with the United States’ vast resources and venues with Canada and Mexico playing a supporting role. Gulati announced that if the bid plan is accepted by the FIFA Council, the U.S. would host 60 of 80 matches played (75%) and host every match from the quarterfinals on.

As of now, competitors to the North American joint bid are not known. What is known is that the two previous hosts are barred from bidding, meaning that UEFA (Russia 2018) and the Asian Football Confederation (Qatar 2022) won’t be allowed to compete. That would leave Africa, Oceania, and South America left to submit bids to try beat out CONCACAF. South American hosted in 2014 (Brazil) and Africa last hosted the 2010 tournament (South Africa), while Oceania has never hosted. South America could potentially put together a compelling bid, but Uruguay and Argentina are expected to bid in 2030 to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the first-ever World Cup.