U.S., Mexico and Canada announce 2026 World Cup bid

The US, Mexico and Canada have announced they are making a joint bid to host the 2026 World Cup, aiming to become the first three-way co-hosts in the history of FIFA's showpiece tournament.

The presidents of all three countries' soccer federations formally announced their bid in NY on Monday, declaring their intent to bring the world's biggest sporting event to North America for the first time since 1994 with the first ever three-country bid.

Canada Soccer Association and CONCACAF president Victor Montagliani added that the idea of joint bid was tossed around as far back as seven or eight years ago. "We have had nothing but positive remarks about it and it is a very strong sign of what football can do to bring countries together".

Mexico has hosted the World Cup twice before - the 1970 event won by a Pele-inspired Brazil and the 1986 tournament won by an Argentina team led by Diego Maradona.

According to Fifa's new World Cup bidding process, announced as part of a wider package of reforms previous year, countries interested in staging 2026 have until December 2018 to prepare their bids.

Speaking at the event, held at the One World Observatory inside Manhattan's One World Trade Center, Gulati said the initial proposal calls for the USA, which had originally considered bidding alone, to stage 60 games in the newly expanded 48-country, 80-game tournament, with Canada and Mexico hosting ten games each.

Russian Federation will host the 2018 World Cup and Qatar in 2022.

There is also a belief from those around the soccer world that it is CONCACAF's turn to host the World Cup.

"The final decisions on those things are up to Federation Internationale de Football Association".

If this all means we get another World Cup championship match in the Rose Bowl, I'm fine with it. The final would be held in the U.S.

Germany was the last nation to get their hands on the World Cup and will defend the trophy in Russian Federation, next year.

The proposal for the first World Cup with the field expanded from 32 to 48 teams is that the US hosts all the games from the quarterfinals.

CONCACAF wants its member countries to give up friendlies to play regional teams in a new league format.

The bid provides a stark contrast to President Donald Trump's promise to build a border wall between the U.S. and Mexico. "I think we're through the tunnel and now it's up to us to start going up the hill", he said in an interview.

Among the possible venues are MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey (82,500 capacity, opened in 2010); AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas (80,000, 2009); Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California (68,500, 2014); Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts (66,000, 2002); and Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia (69,500 in 2003).

It's not just that the US will no longer be able to book exhibitions against global titans like the Netherlands or World Cup holders Germany - countries the Americans beat on their own turf in 2015.

"It behooves football and leaders of football to deal with it and rise above it", he said. Mexico City's Azteca Stadium, built for the 1966 World Cup, has an 87,000 capacity after a renovation that was completed past year, and there are relatively new venues in Monterrey (BBVA Bancomer, 52,000, 2015) and Guadalajara (Estadio Chivas, 45,000, 2010).

It is also a statement on how CONCACAF - once synonymous with corruption - has cleaned house, according to Montagliani.