Potential 2026 WC Hosts (Update: Morocco Sole Challenger to CONCACAF Bid)

Those other stadiums seemed to figure out how to lay it out and for it to be safe.
Dallas had bad experiences the last few times they tried to layout temporary grass:

In January, AT&T Stadium was announced as one of the 24 venues to have expressed an interest in hosting the June tournament. Criticism has been aimed at the quality of a playing surface at JerryWorld, both in the 2013 CONCACAF Gold Cup, and more recently when Mexico faced Argentina in September. Four-time Ballon d'Or winner, Lionel Messi, saw his right foot completely swallowed up by a shoddy temporary grass surface. After the 2013 Gold Cup Semifinals, Stuart Holden tore his ACL in the final, with many linking the two after Holden labeled AT&T Stadium the worst surface he had ever endured. Typically when sod is laid as a temporary surface, it takes at least a week for the sections to bind, and roots to form into the soil beneath. For the Mexico v Argentina game, the field was given just over 24 hours. In 2013, there were clear signs that the field had not been maintained after being installed, with the seams curling due to a lack of irrigation.
https://sportsday.dallasnews.com/so...15/11/14/dfw-set-miss-copa-america-centenario

 

ok that's good info. But you'd think for a QC Final, they'd get the best experts around to figure this out. It's being done elsewhere successfully, there shouldn't be anything unique in this stadium to prevent it from being successful except guys who didn't know what they're doing were laying down the grass for those games you cited. As bad as this past history is (and it does sound bad!), I don't think it excludes Dallas as a candidate. Believe me, I don't want it to be there, but I think with the extra seats/extra income, it's a realistic candidate.

 

If they set up some sort of irrigation and drainage it could be done. Jerry will find a way.

Just don't think FIFA or the US Federation will trust it for a Final.

 

One thought is even if US/MEX/CAN gets awarded the WC soon, the downselect of venues might not happen for some time. They might have time to prove they can do it correctly. Anyway, I hope Dallas doesn't get it because I'd like to think I'm going to the final and I don't want to go to Dallas. Plus I hate Jerry and his American football team and I don't want to see his ugly mug associated with the tournament at all.

 

Not much new info in this article about 2026, however there is interesting/weird mention about the Olympic bid in Los Angeles spreading out some of the soccer matches to Mexico in 2024.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/bobbym...bid-floats-soccer-trial-balloon/#25d52d4e2376

 

That is bizarre. The only stadium remotely close is Estadio Caliente in Tijuana, home of the Xolos. With no traffic, it's over 3 hours from LA, and there is rarely no traffic. And that doesn't even consider the time to cross the border in both directions. Or are they suggesting they play in other Mexican cities that spectators would have to fly to, like Mexico City, Monterrey, Guadalajara? This really is a weird mention.

 

I think the idea is that the good people of Mexico will be the ones watching.

 

yeah I get "the idea", but don't you think it's bizarre? Conduct an entire Summer Olympics in the LA area, but stick a few football/soccer matches in another country where you pretty much have to take a several hour flight to get to the games? I doubt Tijuana is what they have in mind here, the stadium is too small to go to the trouble of doing this.

I'm thinking this is someone's 'out of the box' idea that will get squashed. I really doubt it's a serious consideration. Anyway....this is off topic for the 2026WC, unless I guess somehow this was worked into the deal.

 

I think they could spread it out to Azteca, Guadalajara and/or Monterrey etc.
Last time Los Angeles hosted there were soccer matches held in Boston and Maryland many miles away. So it would not be all that outlandish to have those cities host either based on that precedent. In fact Mexico City is closer to LA than Boston is. (But still a bit weird.)

 

Morocco/Ivory Coast for 2026?
http://www.insideworldfootball.com/...26-world-cup-bid-perhaps-jointly-ivory-coast/

 

Morroco just seems like the fat ugly bridesmaid that has been trying to catch the wedding bouquet the last four weddings and thinks this 5th time should be the charm.

 

It's not like California lacks soccer-sized stadiums.

 

World Cup 2030: Uefa would 'strongly support' pan-British or English bid
http://www.bbc.com/sport/football/40136827

 

start a new thread with that post, as this thread is for 2026

 

That's a crass analogy. I doubt John from the gospel would use it.

 

It was a joke about a hypothetical situation and person.
Tough crowd.

 

Chile may throw their hat into the 2022 ring with a possible joint bid with other South American Federations.
http://www.cbssports.com/soccer/new...st-in-2026-could-soon-face-stiff-competition/

 

*2026

 

I'd like to hear @Rickdog's take on this. FIFA's decision from early last month gave other countries 3 months to put out another bid to compete against the US/MEX/CAN bid. So that's early August, just a month and a half away.

I don't know what's required by this deadline. Is it just a country writing a letter which states (like Chile looks to be doing): "hey, we might be interested and we just need to line up a few other countries, so count us in...details to follow"?

Or does the bid need to have the countries definitively stated with at least a strawman proposal? The article says Chile would look to Bolivia and Peru as bidding partners, because Argentina and Uruguay plan to bid on the 2030 WC as a 100th anniversary of the first WC in Uruguay. So I see 2 issues. The 2030 Uruguay/Argentina bid makes sense and would be cool. Plus it's a cup I'd love to attend. But that one would have to compete against a Euro bid, possibly England.Scotland/Wales or even a UK.Ireland bid. But in any case, maybe CONMEBOL would want the 2030 bid over this one by Chile? I don't know CONMEBOL politics or where the power there lies, but I'm guessing URU/ARG has more sway than Chile/Peru/Bolivia.

Second question: is a Chile/Peru/Bolivia bid credible? Do Peru and Bolivia have the money and the political will to stage a WC? I'm guessing a lot of stadium construction would be required.

Personally, I'd rather the tournament be somewhere other the US so I can see somewhere new. But the US/MEX/CAN bid just looks too strong to beat for many reasons.

 

One word : Ridiculous

If co-hosting with some neighbour, Chile would probably have to asume most of the spending and costs (due to our better economy status, compared to our neighbours), receiving in exchange, the least importance at the moment of hosting, due to the fact all our neighbours have more and lots bigger cities than the ones we have, capable of having bigger stadiums, in them.

On the second question, it would be lots more easier for Chile to co-host anything with Canada (at over 10.000 kilometers of distance), compared to what it would be to co-host anything with both Bolivia and Peru, and least of all, with both of them at the same time (unfortunately, deep in their minds, they still have very strong feelings against us, since we beat them at a war we had with both, over 130 years ago).

 

True, there is just no end to the political issues that Chile has with Bolivia and Peru. In particular Bolivia can never forget it's status as a landlocked country. In general though there are always, always, always border issues with Chile. There were issues way before the Pacific war and there are issues way after. Large sectors of the Bolivian population are on continuous watch that nothing done by the Bolivian government ever benefits Chile.

This won't fly easily. Certainly getting an agreement by the end of the year would take a miracle.

 

You can co-host with us Chile, we get along... right?

 

With Argentina and Uruguay it is possible, as any of our diferences with them aren't as big as how they are, with our northen neighbours. But in any possible agreement, the one thing we sure aren't going to do, is asume the cost, of refurbishment of their stadiums or any of their infrastructure.

Each country must take care on scratching their backs due to their own fleas, together with paying the required bribes to their own corrupt politicians.

 

Peru will host the 2019 Panamerican Games, but they are well behind schedule.

Bolivia is not credible, period.

 

Who still needs sports?


There are few people in this world who think about the dialectic relationship between special characteristics of human psychology, mentality and milestone events of the modern era. In the public mind, these concepts are separated in principle. Historical events take place just like they occur by themselves and people are only involved in them. But obviously this is not the case. This is people who are numerous movers of the reality, created by them every minute. And surely, the content of this reality corresponds to the very essence of their human development. Take, for example, the Middle Ages. Brutal knights who were easily chopping off heads of anyone who had frustrated them and throwing living donkeys together with firewood into the fireplace in order to cheer up their ladies might easily start crying when they saw, for instance, the walls of Jerusalem. In the Orient, according to its literature, the picture was much the same. Desperate head-breakers were ready to shed their tears and pass out at every given opportunity. This is a triumph of infantilism of some ambivalent feeling, which has left an indelible imprint on that epoch. Why do you think Hitler was able to energize Germans so easily if they were not awfully sentimental at heart? The higher sensitivity, the greater, let's say, political incorrectness in all spheres of existence, down to horrors of war and genocide.

But there is not only the horrifying side to that coin. There is also an emotional appeal. This climate is exactly what, for instance, a flowering of art needs. It is just like fire. It can burn you to ashes but without fire you cannot light a house at dusk, stay warm and cook meals. In the past century, there was enough fire for two world wars, as well as, for the unprecedented flowering of science and art. We paid a terrible price for it, but this thought never crossed our minds. Now pragmatism took the place of emotions. You think this is no more than a traditional old-age grumbling? Well, let's just look at such good indicator, which measured the level of mass emotional component, as sports. I mean elite sports that is a well-loved show for the broad masses of people. Take, for instance, football. Just try to answer the question, what nation on Earth loves football best of all. I'm sure most of you will say the Brazilians. They play football like they were born for it. But when the 2014 FIFA World Cup was held in Brazil, protest actions were roiling the whole country. Just think of it: according to recent surveys, nearly 45% of Brazilians opposed hosting the Football World Cup in their country! The big football country is against football. Why? The Brazilian people prefer not to have high emotions in order to get more money. Okay, Brazil is an impoverished country. And what about countries with deep pockets? Well, everything is just the same. Previously, nations used to go all-out for the privilege of hosting the Olympic Games. Now, several wealthy European countries, such as Germany, Switzerland, Sweden and Norway, withdrew their bids for the 2022 Olympics. It is much safer to count the money in peace and emotional dormancy. It seems that the modern Olympic Movement, as well as, the whole elite sports will soon become only the domain of Asia. The only hope we have is Russians. Russia has held the best Winter Olympics in history. Now it is hosting the FIFA Confederations Cup and is preparing to host the 2018 Mundial in a big way. And you may try to ask some poor Russian, 'What's in it for you? Maybe, you'll even make some money.' He will look at you like you are nuts. It seems we still have the place on the planet where not everything is measured only in money. Isn't that why we are so afraid of them?