Soccer is growing in North America. You cannot deny that fact and FIFA has definitely noticed.
That’s why a U.S., Canada, Mexico joint bid for the 2026 World Cup should be a slam dunk. Although as of today, nobody else has bid.
In 2018, the World Cup in Russia has been called into question surrounding scandal and global politics – even calls for a venue change.
2022 host Qatar is even worse. A country ripe with social injustices and even some FIFA officials have regretted the decision to give Qatar the world’s biggest sporting event.
Some workers building the stadiums are “basically slaves”, said one report.
And the weather. Because of extreme heat in the summer, the World Cup has been moved to November-December 2022.
So now tell me how FIFA screws this up after getting 2018 and 2022 so wrong? Yes, I’m not forgetting the debacle of 2014 in Brazil as well.
FIFA has been filled with scandal. Going with a North America host would be a welcome reprieve from the recent controversy.
It also taps deeper into the potential that North America brings for growing the soccer audience.