Canada is Co-Hosting the 2026 World Cup
Published June 13, 2018 at 1:53 pm
Football or soccer -whatever you prefer to call it -at its highest level is coming to Canada for the 2026 World Cup.
For the first time in history, FIFA’s member associations voted on the host.
The tally: 134-65 in favour of the ‘United Bid’ by Canada, the U.S. and Mexico, beating out Morocco.
“Hosting a FIFA World Cup is an extraordinary honor and privilege,” said Canada Soccer president and co-chair of the United Bid Steven Reed.
“Canada, Mexico, and the United States are ready to welcome the world to North America and serve as stewards of the largest FIFA World Cup in history. Our vision is of a world of opportunity for our Candidate Host Cities and for the global football community.”
The announcement was made on June 13 by the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow.
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The bid is projected to generate $5 billion in economic impact for the 16 host cities – Toronto, Montreal and Edmonton, potentially- that will be selected.
The vote also marks the first time three nations have been selected to co-host, and the first time the World Cup will be played in North America in 32 years.
The competition will be expanded to a 48-team format.
“We are grateful for the chance to bring to life FIFA’s new vision for the future of football,” said Mexico Football Federation president and co-chair of the United Bid Decio de Maria.
“Together—in partnership with our candidate host cities, the member associations, and FIFA—we will use this platform to unite the world around football and help create a new and sustainable blueprint for the future of FIFA World Cups.”
Hosting the World Cup “is a rare and important moment to demonstrate that we are all truly united through sport,” said U.S. soccer president and co-chair of the United Bid Carlos Cordeiro.
The United Bid is expected to generate more than $14 billion in revenue and $11 billion in profits for FIFA, which will be shared with the 211 FIFA Member Associations, helping further develop and expand the game of football across the globe.
BY THE NUMBERS: 2026 FIFA World Cup
Number of Teams: 48
Number of Matches: 80
Number of Players: 1,100+
Candidate Host Cites: 23
Proposed Training Sites: 150
Projected Revenue: $14 billion
Projected Profit: $11 billion
Projected Economic Impact: $5 billion
Projected Ticket Sales: 5.8 million
(Source: Canada Soccer)
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