Burnish the reputation of dictators?
There’s a lot of that going around.
Who cares? I just wish that the media would quit trying to shove this stupid sport down our throats.
1
What an incredible waste of money. More money for corruption and fat cats.
1
It's wonderful, terrific for the U.S. and its neighbors to share the World Cup.
Now let's forget about that stupid wall and any tariffs. How would you like to be treated by your neighbors?
1
So when can we expect an NYT expose on the bribery and extortion from within and without FIFA regarding the bidding process?
Too bad so sad, another boondoggle by the utterly completely corrupt FIFA. Then Trump would say nobody’s perfect give em more money, just like me.
This should be interesting.
Let's see - the USA will say the Canadians can't participate because they are all weak and they're all liars. Mexico can't participate (even if they did manage to scale THE WALL) because they're all rapists, thugs and drug dealers. We can't have that! We must protect our women and children! We also can't let them into the country because once they get here, of course the whole team will apply for asylum or resident status. But we will prevail! We'll send them all to overcrowded detention centers - coaches too! Anyway, we all know that's where "they" belong.
Of course, it would be so much more "convenient" if both teams were from Scandinavian countries...or Russia.
5
Most likely the US team as well as the Canadians will fail to qualify for the cup. Or will all three host nations be shoehorned in automatically?
How ironic. Russia reclaims Crimea in a bloodless take-over and gets slapped with sanctions: The U.S. invades Iraq and Afghanistan, bombs Libya and Syria to smithereens and encourages Saudi genocide in Yemen .... and gets rewarded with the most prestigious competition on Earth.
Might Is Right. Indisputably.
And as for the nitty-gritty details: As the NYT revealed yesterday, Trump wrote 3 letters to FIFA guaranteeing free entry to teams and citizens of ANY participating nation. He must have assumed Iran, Iraq, Pakistan and other Muslim nations won't qualify.
How can Mexico be North America???
I'm glad the World Cup is coming back to North America, but I fear this will spur illegal immigration from Mexico. It should have been just US and Canada.
I know it's not your fault that public schooling in this country is so weak. But may I suggest you pull up a (world) map on Google? Doing that you will easily see that the United States of Mexico are part of the North American continent.
And for tomorrow: Look up Sweden and Switzerland. One step at a time...
7
and in 2030, South Korea is preparing to win bid to host World Cup with China, Japan and .. North Korea. I hope North American World Cup leads up to 'East Asian World Cup'.
More people from third world countries coming here on tourist visas and never returning to their country.
Make USMNT qualify again. Not even an auto bid will save the US vs a speedy, athletic African side who will send the hosts home.
Pretty amusing -- do they get three free passes into tourney as host countries cause only Mexico will actually have a team that qualifies on the field. Sad.
I would be very willing to bet that the great majority of the games will be held in Canada and Mexico, due to the short sightedness of our president.
Who pays for this great honor?
“a record $11 billion in profit for FIFA”
Another scam to exploit the overtaxed middle so the bloated rich can get richer.
Our stadiums are all built. We welcome millions of fans who will spend billions of dollars here
1
I'm not a huge soccer fan but I was delighted to learn that the game that will decide the championship will played at Metlife Stadium!!
Soccer is like curling at the Winter Olympics. Watching a few matches once every 4 years is interesting - any more often would be utterly boring.
FIFA is so corrupt that it handed the World Cup to Qatar in summer. So I'm not at all surprised that superior financial prowess won. Morocco, on the other hand, can't afford much for bribes, and hey, they only *play* brilliant football....
See the Mueller investigation is affecting the Trump administration. Trump hasn't tweeted against this even once. Too distracted.
1
I’m not tired of winning yet, but this is getting out of hand. Let’s review.
In just the past two weeks, the U.S. maneuvered North Korea’s leader into promising to denuclearize, May’s job numbers were amazing, the Fed predicted 3.6% unemployment for the remainder of the year and planned to raise rates 4 times, bogus asylum seekers and other invaders were reversed twice (by having the sex abuse claim taken away as an excuse, and by facing the prospect of being separated from their children if they still try to cross illegally), Claire McCaskill was caught using a private plane on her folksy RV tour of MO, primary turnout for GOP held seats was higher for the GOP than Dems in CA, Trump candidates won in the AL, SC, and VA primaries, and Republicans defeated pure DACA legislation and will be putting border controls back on the table for next week’s vote.
And now this, where we’re getting 60 games to Mexico’s 10 and Canada’s 10, and Morocco’s 0.
And now I hear that next week or later this week Trump is going to consolidate all agencies that provide welfare into a rebranded department of health and human services, which will probably be called something like the Department of Welfare, to make these costs harder to defend, easier to see, and easier to cut.
The only downside is how progressives are reacting. It’s getting to point where I’m starting to get worried about their mental and emotional stability in the face of all this winning.
3
I'm hoping the treason trials are on ppv
Now we will wait to see how much corruption aided the vote and politics intrudes on preparations for and execution of the games. Between FIFA and President Trump there is much to be concerned about.
1
This seems to be a rather odd announcement since, due to the current Trump / Republican insanity gripping the U.S., the three countries in the joint bid are barely on speaking terms. Maybe the U.S. will have emerged from its self-inflicted darkness by then.
5
Congratulations to the USA! However: are we showing the best of ourselves right now, with the separation of immigrant families applying for asylum at the border, the retention of immigrant children in cages, the detention of undocumented workers everywhere, all examples of a policy of terror against immigrants? What guarantees did the USA offer FIFA that it would provide access and respect World Soccer Coup’s spectators when it harasses human beings and uses minors as pawns to deter further immigration? Domestic policies implemented in the last 18 months do not show the best of ourselves, either—tax cuts to the 1%, dismantling DACA, eliminating health care for children and coverage of pre-existing conditions, dropping environmental protections,... the list is long. Is it that FIFA’s directors and advisors do not read newspapers, or am I missing something? Perhaps hosting the World Soccer Coup is an honor we do not deserve. Or FIFA and countries supporting this decision are sending the message that it is OK to ignore what is going on in the USA.
3
Why to the USA? This is a JOINT win with Canada and Mexico,in which Trump was not involved.
But you're right, hosting the World Cup is certainly an honour the USA doesn't deserve - you don't even call if Football!
As a proud American, I’m glad we’re hosting the World Cup - so we can demonstrate our support for the great sport of tennis.
8
Will the $11 bn simply feed FIFA's corruption?
2
Isn’t ridiculous that North America appears to be attempting to unify through sports, although Trump is working hard to destroy that so called unity.
12
Good. Hold the games in Canada as that is the only North American country that can afford the necessary infrastructure.
5
I'm glad its North America. I like watching World cup matches, mostly because its 1st. The best if the best; and 2nd: regular season soccer to me anyway, is just intolerable to watch.
I love regular season baseball and hockey. I'm sure dedicated soccer fans feel about these, as I do about their sport.
Then again, I never kicked a soccer ball in a game. Just being honest, no offense meant.
1
Sixty games in the USA, 10 in Canada, 10 in Mexico. Can Canadian and American stadiums have real grass in place instead of some synthetic product?
7
What concerns me is the "guaranteed" $11 billion profit. These kinds of massive events usually hemorrhage money and when they do it's the taxpayer that makes up the loss. What is the consortium's legal obligation to deliver on that promise and what is the backstop if they can't? I wouldn't be surprised if that hasn't even been discussed. It's probably "premature" or "a detail to be worked out" or "don't spoil this great moment with difficult questions."
13
Hopefully by 2026 Trump will be serving the remainder of his prison term and can watch the games in the common area room with the other members of his family.
35
What would he be in prison for?
Penalties will be kicked over the wall...
9
By 2026, the US Will be a part of Russia anyway.......
9
By '26, most Moroccans will have migrated to Europe.
Did anyone check this deal out with Trump? Will trump attend any of the games? Most countries in the tournament would be happy if he didn't show up. Does Trump trust the despicable Trudeau in this triumvirate? We Canadians don't want him on our soil.
15
We don't want Trump on our soil either...
22
He will undoubtedly attend as president serving his third term.
5
Wait a second. A united North America? How can we trust Mexico and Canada to carry their fair shares? I thought Trump made his point last week that the US is a lone wolf and doesn’t need some two-countries pulling on its apron strings.
How will Mexican players get here legally? Not to mention those sneaky assimilator Canadians slipping in as we sleep.
I hope I’m not alone with these grave concerns.
23
I was born in 1975, and have heard my whole life how soccer was growing in the U.S. and going to be huge some day soon. First they said wait intil 1990, then wait until 2000, then it was 2012. Since the U.S. seems to get worse at soccer compared to the rest of the world, not better, when I hear about soccer and the "wait until" comments I can't help but be dismissive.
Fact is soccer attracts second and third rate athletes in the U.S. and is nothing more than a kids club sport here.
Perhaps I'm being critical of soccer, but the flopping and histronics come off to my American competitive sensiblities as wimpy and effete. Maybe that's why it fails to gain traction here.
Ok, so in 2026 soccer will be popular in the U.S. for a month or so, after that, business as usual. Let's see if the U.S. can even make the tournament.
7
Hosts get automatic bids. Even without that, the U.S. has made the tournament in seven out of the past eight cycles.
3
um, MLS much?
3
A nice post from the 1990's Jason. You should try living in 2018 and see what it's like (hint - huge crowds at MLS games, soccer has already passed baseball as the third sport in the US, behind only football and basketball).
4
"Of the tournament’s 80 matches, 10 will be in Canada, 10 in Mexico and 60 in the United States—including the final, at MetLife Stadium in the New York City suburb of East Rutherford, N.J."
I have made a note not to attempt to drive down the Turnpike eight years from now.
5
An offensive waste of money on a spectacle that seems tohave been used lately to burnish the reputations of dictators. North America doesn’t need it. I don’t want any of my tax money to go to any of it directly or indirectly.
4
Thank you President Trump
WINNING
Making America Great Again
1
Trump had essentially nothing to do with it, other than to provide assurances that he wouldn't get in the way by interfering with travel by athletes and spectators. (And even at that, whatever he said is not binding on his successors.) The U.S. Soccer Federation, a private entity, along with its Canadian and Mexican counterparts, developed the proposal and sold it to their counterparts in other national football federations. In other words, they did all the heavy lifting.
19
But our president with a big brain told us that we don't like Canada and Mexico anymore...
9
Phew! We Canadians just got through the G7 meeting for a mere $ 605,000,000.00
How much is this World Cup going to cost us?
A Canadian
2
Note to FIFA: after distributing your $11B in profits to all the extended palms in your organization, please report on how much of that $50m going to each federation actually gets to the ones who actually play.
1
The 2026 World Cup will be played underground in Nevada or Idaho. We probably won’t qualify for that one either —- unless it’s on PlayStation, Nintendo or X Box.
3
It is a pity that the World Cup is being awarded to a group where only one country has a genuine football culture. The other two are just rich countries with no football culture- a pity especially because of the barriers that these rich countries will put on fans trying to travel. In reality it is really a US based World Cup and we know how it was when they last hosted the cup.
7
Indeed, we know how it was when the U.S. hosted in 1994. The tournament set attendance records that have not been matched by England, France, Italy, Brasil, Germany, or any other country that has hosted the tournament.
12
And that country is not even officially or geographically part of "North America."
It's really a USA bid glammed up with adding a thin veneer of Canada and Mexico -- 75% of the games are in the US, including all of the quarters, semis and finals. Really, couldn't throw the "partner" countries a measly quarter-final to supplement their 12.5% of matches? No wonder Trump loves this bid - America First, right?
9
Phew! Jstu read that it will cost the city of Montreal (A host city) at least $ 150,000,000.00. Our mayor is already begging for money from Province of Quebec, and Canada!
What is it going to cost Mexico and the US of A?
3
The Football World Cup in Canada? What will be next? The Ice Hockey World Championships in Spain? The Rugby World Championships in Germany?
And during the draw: Will Mexico, the USA and Canada all end up in pot 1?
1
Gee Hans, you have hockey and have teams in the Olympics. I just bet you love that, for a country that's all football!
1
"This was the first time a joint bid was selected to host the soccer tournament."
Could this have anything to do with the corruption exhibited by FIFA executives?
2
Wasn't the 2002 World Cup split between South Korea and Japan?
8
Betty, that was two countries. This is three countries. See the massively historical significance? :-0
1
Nice to see international sports, often synonymous with corruption and self-dealing, act more like adults and good neighbors than our American president.
7
FIFA operate on bribery and corruption. Guess where a good portion of the 11 billion will end up? and if Trump is still around he'll be cashing in.
Smart move on the committees part. It addresses the region’s desire and now all three must get along. Now, Mr. Trump....
All three have gotten along just fine until you-know-who spoiled the party.
Interesting that we can allow fans from any country visas to watch the games but not to be just tourists.
5
FIFA should demand that the name of the game they just awarded to the America's be called FOOTBALL. This is the rightful, worldwide name of this sport. The game played in the US should be referred to as American Football or given another name. Maybe it should be called Soccer. There are enough smart people in this country that can come up with a new name for the game played here
8
Especially since American Football no longer has much to do with the foot...
5
There are a lot of countries outside the US that call it soccer.
1
Nor should an egg-shaped projectile be called a ball!
Given that Canada and Mexico will only be hosting 10 games each, with the vast amounts of money to be earned and games being played going to the US, I was hoping that the way they have been treated by this disgusting administration would have led them to withdrawn their bid and vote for Morocco. There is a price to be paid for disgraceful leadership.
That arrangement was agreed to by the three football federations years ago, as a show of regional solidarity. Canada, in particular, would have had trouble hosting more games than that. Further, these federations are private entities, and the governments of the three countries had next to no role in structuring the joint bid.
2
Pity the poor fool trying to get from a game in Mexico to a game in the U.S. or Canada going through U.S. immigration with a passport from Iran or Yemen or Somalia, etc. Indeed, pity the poor fool from a predominantly Moslem country applying for a visa in such a country to watch a World Cup match in the U.S. At least Mr. Trump will be gone, but what other anti-immigrant politician will be the face of America by then? America will gain few friends in this world cup if it maintains its current attitudes. I wouldn't be surprised to see Mohammed Salah turned away at the border after scoring a hat trick in Mexico City.
15
Trump will be in his last year as president when this takes place.......MAGA
You should check your math on that one. Maybe "Make Mathematics Great Again" would be a more fitting slogan!
How the heck would he get 2 years after a second term? For that matter, how the heck would he get a second term?
Next time, Morocco should share with other countries (thinking Spain, perhaps Algeria and even France) instead of just itself. You spread out the costs for hosting.
4
To propose that Morocco and Algeria host jointly exposes your lack of knowledge about the region. Spain would also be quite a stretch.
3
Per the NY Times, Trump sent three letters to FISA assuring them that all participating teams and their fans would be granted admission to the US for the 2026 World Cup notwithstanding his Muslim Ban. Since Trump doesn’t think presidents are bound by their predecessors’ agreements (see e.g. torn to shreds Iran deal), do he and FISA expect that he’ll still be in the White House in 2026? Perhaps his plan is to have Mike Pence take over in 2020 and come back in 2024 ala his pal Putin and his stooge Medvedev? Or just refuse to leave at the end of his second term in 2025, calling upon Chief Justice Sean Hannity to declare the Twenty Second Amendment fake news?
8
I wonder how much the bribe was and who paid for it.
5
Football! ...Please, just this once.
4
The term "soccer" didn't originate in the US. ;)
1
Another win for Trump and the US.
1
Trump had nothing to do with it, at least not in a positive sense. The U.S. Soccer Federation is a private entity. It, along with its Canadian and Mexican counterparts, started working on this bid years ago, before Trump was in office.
9
Obama was involved at the end of Chicago’s bid for the Olympics, the liberal media thought it was a sure bet. Don’t tell me now it’s not a victory for Trump.
Apparently North Korea voted against.
Nice to have the support of your friends.
7
Really who cares. soccer is an incredibly boring sport FIFA is a corrupt degenerate organization and this the World Unite unites to play soccer spiel really is something I could care less about. I just hope none of my tax money is being spent on this incredible boring waste of time.
3
If your tax money is spent on baseball, the most boring sport in the world, then your tax money WILL be spent on football (yes, say it - FOOTBALL). Three billion blissful football fans - half the population of the world, don't care what you think.
10
And I don't care what they think and I still don't want my tax money spent on this miserable corrupt boondoggle.
The NAFTA cup?
8
It always comes down to money. Humanity's obsession for wealth, power and fame has always led to disasters, but in this one case corruption is the issue. Just how much money did those FIFA members who voted get? Look at Russia and it's hold of the world cup, they should have been banned and the location reassigned, but with all of Putin's money, FIFA was made an offer it couldn't refuse. I don't care about the World Cup , i won't and never have watched a game. I'd rather watch Roller Derby before a soccer game, for i know where Roller Derby stands with regards to it being a clean, honest game- it isn't. I'd love to be that fly on the wall when those officials make those decisions behind close doors. I'd be a multi-millionaire by now. Oh how greedy of me.
2
You started off right condemning too much money as consideration for hosting, but ended wrong by saying you'll never watch the game of soccer because according to you, it's not a clean sport. Any fan of any sport knows to distinguish the thrill of the sport itself from its top management. You're insulting innocent, hard-working soccer players and their fans, all of who have no say in how the sport is organized and managed at the FIFA level.
8
So sorry to burst your bubble, but pro-soccer players and their fans are far from innocent. Yours, in my opinion is a rather naive view of the sport and pro sports in general. You might want to re-familiarize yourself with the player on player violence and especially soccer fan violence(all the riots in and outside the stadium). Big news every year for the past several decades. Players and fans have lots of say on how things are run with regards to FIFA; rioting on the streets does magic with officials.
1
Morocco stood no chance against a trio of very powerful and rich Canada, US, and Mexico. Economics, profit, and infrastructure are always a major consideration in these decisions, but they shouldn't always be. Africa has hosted the World Cup only once, yet the continent breathes, eats and drinks football (soccer) numerous times more than the US and Canada, where soccer is not even among the top three sports.
If Africa is continuously denied the opportunity to host global competitions such as World Cup and Olympics, then the continent will never gain the necessary experience to host such events successfully.
The game of football (soccer) is played more in poor countries than rich nations, where there are lots of other sporting options. European football leagues are full of highly skilled African players, some of who first played the game bare-footed on grass-barren backyards, streets, and any open space in their villages and inner cities.
Those poor countries contributing immensely to the beautiful game should have ample opportunity, once in a while, to present themselves to the world. Indeed it is positive, rather than embarrassing, for the world to see how they live. Additionally, those nations also deserve the economic benefits of spending by millions of fans visiting their country. This cannot be bad for the sport.
10
The operative word is "poor." Morocco, for all its glorious monarchy and posh resorts, is a very poor country. The billions it would take to host this event, the largest event of any kind, would either take food out of their mouths or put the country in debt for decades. This isn't an affirmative action program. Moroccans would be hurt by hosting the games as Brazilians were hurt by hosting the Olympics. These events have little or no trickle down effect. Nothing against Morocco or the rest of Africa but a bunch of stadiums that will be used maybe once a year is not what that country needs.
The World Cup and the Olympics should be held in places that can accommodate them with existing infrastructure. It has been proposed many times that there be a rotating circuit for hosting games. Maybe one on each continent to satisfy the "fairness" argument. But it just doesn't make good financial sense to throw billions of dollars at stadiums built for huge events in places that will never have a huge event again.
1
As The African continent develops its infrastructure more across countries, it will get another opportunity to host. I would not be surprised to see it in East Africa in 2034.
The first stage games, with the 16 groups being composed of one first rate and two second rate teams, will surely lack much interest. This could get worse if the three games per group at this stage are not held in the same city. I'm not sure if this new scheme will mean full stadium attendances for more than half of the games, specially in Canada and Mexico which will only host ten games (no game at the quarter finals stage onwards).
2
For those who are wondering, if the U.S. had lost out on this bid, after having lost out on its stand-alone bid for 2022, the U.S. would almost certainly have not bid for 2030 because it is widely regarded as a foregone conclusion that the centennial World Cup that year will be jointly awarded to Argentina and Uruguay, in commemoration of Uruguay hosting the inaugural World Cup in 1930. (The scale of the World Cup, esp. with its impending expansion to 48 years, would make it too big for Uruguay to be the sole host in 2030, which is why Argentina will be co-host.)
4
Sorry, I meant to write 48 "teams".
Great. This assumes both Mexico and Canada are still talking to the U.S. when the games occur, and that we 'allow' folks from all over the world into the country. Could have the lowest attendance in history.
11
Trump cannot be happy with Mexico and Canada involved.As a Canadian who will be watching the soccer tournament.Canada should not host as we are hopeless in soccer and the U.S. has barely progressed in the last 10 years.
5
Since three nations host, there should be a tournament among the three to see who deserves the automatic berth. So that would be Mexico.
Unfortunately, Fifa is corrupt, and will correctly deem a US qualification uncertain - even for a 48-team tournament - so will probably allow the US team to qualify automatically.
1
The US has participated in seven of the last eight tournaments, and even more impressive, has gotten to the round of 16 on four separate occasions (and to the elite eight on one of those occasions). The list of countries that have done better than that is a pretty short one. Qualification is uncertain only in the same sense as it is for any team; powerhouses such as Italy, the Netherlands, and Chile are also sitting out this tournament.
3
Well, aren't we lucky. The most corrupt individuals in the world have gotten together and decided the most money to be made is in North America.
Whoopee.
WE THE PEOPLE get to pay but get no benefits. What is to celebrate?
10
It will just be my luck if Scotland manage to qualify in 2026 all their games will be in Mexico. Sorry Vancouver pulled out of the quest to be a candidate city. Stadium is right in down town core and has a Skytrain station attached.
A soccer article about loving thy neighbours in the World Cup ( could also apply to Eurovision Song Contest), http://www.heraldscotland.com/sport/football/16286854.Neil_Cameron__It__...
2
Great - as long as we are not at war with Mexico and Canada at that point. Oh, wait - Trump will be gone (unless he has the rules changed).
13
I infer that the world cup is a great thing mos people like it is a huge chang efor all the teams
Too bad, I was rooting for Morocco.
11
Some of the players who will represent the US in 2026 are in Middle School now. How exciting for youth soccer.
21
While I agree FIFA is corrupt, given that the final will be played right outside NYC; there's a decent chance the host location will have the largest combined ex pat community of the two finalists in the world. While the Azteca would be nice, they hosted the World Cup there twice, and NYC is truly the most diverse city in the world. No better choice for the final.
12
It actually isn't the most diverse city in the world.
Yes it is -- And those of us who are here know it.
Take note, Mr. Trump... You can not break up our North American family. Our kinship will outlast your hopefully short tenure in the Oval Office. Love soccer, love the US of A, Canada, and Mexico!
19
If this event comes to pass, the planners need to carefully consider logistics and geography-- especially for fans. With thousands of miles between the North and South and East and West of the USA, Canada, and Mexico, how to manage scheduling will be a big challenge. Yes, Russia is large, but the matches are in Western-Central Russia - which is manageable. There is also the question of the United States and a visa system that was already difficult to reconnoiter before Trump, but which is now outright hostile to people from many countries. How will things be on that front in 2026, especially if the present sickness in the American body politic and society has not passed? Also, if Trump continues to alienate everyone, including Canada and Mexico, we will have much bigger problems to address than sporting events.
5
You have to wonder whether sustainability was a factor in the decision-making process for the 2026 World Cup bid. The amount of automobile, plane, etc. emissions from this WC will be enormous as this will be a continental WC. It’s one thing for a country of large size to host the tournament, but, a continent? Furthermore, the US has shunned its neighbors & climate change. Sure, politics should be laid aside when it comes to football (not soccer). However, a nation’s degradation of humanity shouldn’t.
Morocco would’ve been the better option to host the 26 WC. With climate change, Morocco offers more in sustainability with its compactness and environmental conscious, especially as recent hosts of UNFCCC’s COP 22 in Marrakech. Hosting the WC in a country that has never hosted before would’ve been better for the world’s beautiful game and for international development. Sure, you cannot ignore the looming infrastructure costs of a WC on a smaller nation like Morocco but how else is the world to progress if we don’t take chances globally in countries that don’t always get come to first thought? Money, money, and more money.
9
"how else is the world to progress"
The world doesn't "progress" one publicly-funded stadium at a time, especially when those stadiums are built for a one-time event. Temporary jobs, permanent long-term operation and maintenance costs. Money money and more money, from poor Moroccans for nothing.
Should be quite the extravaganza. I never hear much about Canadian football. Mexico of course have a long footballing history, and the US are getting better and better and an opponent you can never get too overconfident against (maybe not this year though...). Would be nice to see Morocco hold it, but that’s a mixed victory for a smaller economy what with the expense involved and the amount of cash FIFA will hoover up as tribute.
2
Vancouver Whitecaps in MSL pull a regular crowd similar to Portland Timbers. There is a friendly tri-cities rivalry amongst Vancouver / Portland / Seattle fans.
5
I have to confess, being from deepest darkest England the Portland Timbers have also passed me by - but thank you for the names - I’ll look them all up and check them out!
Yes there is a friendly rivalry. Any of us can even take Amtrak to the games.
I was wondering if any of the games would be played in any of our three cities? Maybe in Vancouver because it's a bigger deal in Canada than either of us are in the US?
I would also like to apologise (your spelling) for Trump's behavior during and after the G7 and the things he said about Trudeau and Canada. He speaks for no one I know and we are ashamed when he does that kind of thing to children of a common mother and brethren dwelling together in unity.
For people who love USA, and the soccer sport in this country, this is a great oppotunity to have the hosting rights for soccer`s 2026 World Cup. So. Right now, we need to start the real program to have a competitive team and participate with great option to become USA Champion of the Soccer`s 2026 World Cup. We have the enough organization to get that. It`s obvious the great and positive effects in the economy, politics, culture in USA.
2
Having been involved playing and coaching soccer since 1964 I am glad to have a second chance to see a game live in the USA before I die, lol? To those who say that soccer is not met with enthusiasm here in the States, I think they need to update their knowledge and thinking. I was at a Timbers game here in Portland two weeks ago; they've sold out over 130 straight games, granted it is a smaller venue, only about 22,000 people but that is larger than many venues in Europe.
Who has the most children playing soccer in their country? "According to a 2007 FIFA study, the U.S. has more youth soccer players than any of the countries that are real contenders to win the World Cup, and with 24.5 million players trails only China..."
Guess what? it has grown since then and many of the kids from 2007 will be buying tickets for these games. I predict every venue for every game will be sold out. Americans bought more tickets for the Russia games than any other nation, second only to Russia and we know Putin probably bought most of those, LOL.
I've noticed a strong international bias against Americans having success in this sport because it is not our number one sport and for all the other reasons that folks don't like the USA. But with our great venues and ability to handle and absorb crowds, I am hoping that the rest of the World will be pleased with the 2026 games... I expect that we will have a more welcoming government by then!
8
South Africa wasted billions on the World Cup building now abandoned stadiums--why should Morocco do the same?
9
Morocco will be better off spending the money on infrastructure to help their people than wasting it on football venues.
This decision was actually a financial blessing for Morocco. Now let's see if they spend that money on their people and facilities to minimize global warming's effects in their country.
2
"...men’s World Cup was in North America was when the United States hosted in 1994. It was held in Mexico in 1970 and 1986, and Canada has never hosted." - Tariq Panja & Andrew Das, NYT. Wow, finally the America's geography is well done! During the colonial times, the European from Spain & England called the Continent of America (North, Central & South), "Americas (Castilian language -alias Spanish) & America (English). That meant that Americas were Spanish speaking countries, and America was not (English). Today, Americas are called Latinamericas because our language comes from Latin: Castilian, Portugues, French (Haiti). Only you find Hispanic terminology on History textbooks, not in a regular conversation or newspapers. Latinamerican from elementary schools sign the son of the Americas that includes U.S. : https://youtu.be/0uErp6UwStk
I think FIFA has forgotten it’s slogan of “Play Fair”.
Russia, Qatar and now the US? Russia’s grip on free speech, Qatar’s dependence on immigrant labor -and their confiscation of immigrant passports- in essence slave labor to build stadiums. And the US’s president cozying up to dictators, while shunning allies.
What does football mean anymore? It used to mean bringing people together. Now it seems fixed on distorting what that means.
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Great news - the North American Football Tournament Agreement is the winner!
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FIFA is corrupt to the core. It's widely known that the country with the biggest bribe is the one that tends to win the hosting competition. Those are certainly deserved criticisms that the US hurled at Russia and Qatar.
So I guess the US, Canada and Mexico can join the club.
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Why did many "experts" believe this was to be a close vote? Have they been to Morocco? While the country has the passion, there is no way they could build the infrastructure.
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I am anxiously waiting for our Tweeter-in-Chief to take all credit for this, despite the fact that we really won in spite of him.
I am as patriotic as they get and am very excited about the possibility of going to games here but a small part of me wishes that the alternate bid was better qualified so that FIFA could have chosen it and stuck it to Trump.
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Great news! So happy I will get to see games again. THE UISA WC in 1994 was a blast. Also nice to see USA, Mexican and Canadian soccer working together to make this happen. Something Trump is incapable of.
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In the lead up to the 2026 World Cup, the world will be invited to New York City watch in person or on live broadcasts one of the most significant sport events of the 2020s, but those of us here can only wonder that such a significant athletic contest, viewed by billions around the world, will actually take place in New Jersey!
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Shush! It's a secret that several (supposed) NY teams play in NJ.
At least here the Portland teams don't play in (our) Vancouver...
48 teams?! Why not just do away with the qualifiers and invite every registered country to play? Fans want quality, not quantity. This is about $$$
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There are world class teams that will not be represented in this year's world cup: Italy, the Netherlands, Chile - to name a few. If this is to be a truly global event AND have full elite participation, it requires more teams. Yes - there will be minnows (just as there are now) - but that will be sorted out in the group stages.
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The additions for 2026 overwhelmingly go to regions that have never won the World Cup, not to Europea and South America. The group stage is being reduced to 3 teams, and knockout stage increased to 32 teams. So it's pretty much a massive knock-out tournament with a token group stage to eliminate only 16 of the 48 teams.
I'm not convinced that this expansion is guided by anything else except to increase the representation of countries in order to generate more travel to the host countries and therefore produce more revenue for FIFA (which is notoriously corrupt -- a fact, not an opinion). The host countries rarely or ever benefit; aside from a few cronies, the people are typically left with a massive debt: i.e. South Africa and Brazil most recently. Maybe US/Canada/Mexico can absorb these costs for 2026, but I doubt all other future host countries will.
Remember, FIFA is a business, and the businessmen (almost all men in this case) running it don't care if you go into debt by buying their product.
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It's all about trying to get Scotland to qualify.
Visas?? For people from all over the world? Fortunately at that point, hopefully Trump and his cronies would be history.
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For the USA football/soccer is purely business, very sad that Morocco lost the bid. Surely the USA offered some “incentives” to countries voting in favor.
Or the United bid has a massive infrastructure advantage over Morocco that will not require any stadium, hotel or airport construction. Either way.
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The Trumpetization of the soccer business, with an assist from the Kushner gang.
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Every city in compact Morocco can be easily reached by train or coach.
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it will be interesting to see how the fans and the trans are going to deal with the wall at the Mexican border that Mexico is going to pay for and the wall in Canada that the US is going to pay for.
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Given the stench surrounding FIFA, I’m surprised so many seem happy about the multi-country win. Some, like Chicago, pushed back and told FIFA it had no interest because of questionable financial aspects. Add to all of that the continuing weak US interest in soccer and you wonder what some undisclosed factors might be. A large issue for US broadcasters is soccer’s continuous play, which prevents lucrative advertising rates. And the defensive nature of high level soccer simply makes it boring. On the other hand, please attend your granddaughter’s soccer game and ensure her league doesn’t allow ‘headers’.
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Obama failed to win the Olympics; Trump wins the World Cup. Maybe Trump is more respected internationally than the Times admits.
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Don't forget that the USA lost out on the 2022 World Cup in which the Obama Administration was highly involved. However, based on all that emerged about the corruption that led to Qatar besting the USA, hard to lay that disappointment at the feet of the President.
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Trump supporters are so dim. Trump didn't win the WC. The USA, Mexico and Canada soccer federations did.
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“...more respected internationally...”
lol No, the Times has it right.
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Not unintentional for the international body to throw this bone to the NAFTA group at this time and in the wake of word-bombs thrown between the partners. Could be a very good thing for the relationships, that this creates another project on which we have to all work together and "get along" in the words of Rodney King.
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Only one "partner" is throwing word bombs and not getting along.
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Thanks, President Trump. Your support helped make it happen.
I look forward to seeing some games. And Germany winning again!
(Also looking forward to visiting Morocco, a great country with a bright future.)
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Trump and family will make money on this. He doesn't give a hoot about soccer.
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Trump and a sport that emphasizes physical fitness? President Golf Cart should in no way be associated with soccer.
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What did Trump have to do with it? Then three national soccer federations, which are private entities, did all the work.
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Important win for these three countries, both from a sporting and political point of view. For what concerns soccer (or football), hosting a World Cup is a huge opportunity to make the whole organization growing a lot in terms of development of infrastructures and of talent of the teams. From a political perspective, this is important to bring together three nations that actually are having arguments with each other (both Canada and Mexico with the US) on many issues. Let’s hope it will be a great tournament
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World cup 2026 to be held in US, Canada and Mexico will be wonderful for soccer in North America. It will inspire thousands of North American youth to strive to excel in this sport. From my point of view it could contribute to better health of our youth who currently do not participate in football or baseball or rugby or racket sports. Thank you FIFA for assigning the world cup 2026 to North America. I hope it works wonders.
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I am thrilled because my brother and I will finally be able to do what we’ve been talking about for fifteen years now and actually attend some World Cup games! This has been one of our dreams since we were kids kicking a ball around in the concrete lot that served as a “field”. Let’s hope the US hasn’t completely alienated the rest of the world by then.
On the other hand, if the US Men’s Team doesn’t get its act together by 2026, this could be pretty embarrassing. (Not to mention that Messi will probably have retired by then- he’s my favorite player and I would have loved to be there at a game and see him work his magic.)
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The US, Canada, and Mexico will get automatic bids as hosts and the field expands to 48 teams in 2026.
It is still not certain that the US, Canada, and Mexico will get automatic bids. Although I think it is highly likely.
Hopefully he will fair better this go around for Argentina. Sadly, he has had a tough time playing for the country.
plus trump lies..god forbid he get a second term, we might be able to be friends again with our allies by then. This is about a huge pile of money to be made. if all these immigrants that are being kicked out or stopped from coming in had money, the present debacle would not be happening.
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You are right! The rich will not come to U.S. to do cooking, take care their kids, cut the lawn, do grocery shopping,etc, and work at the same time. They are having la buena vida with cheap labor over there. They do not wash their own underwear!. The poor lack of good quality of education, good pay jobs, healthy food, etc. around the world. It is just human desperation when there is high crime and environment pollution to prevent them to live off the land.
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It's one way to have the U.S. team in the World Cup. Buy the whole thing.
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Question: does this mean that all 3 countries qualify, since all 3 are hosting the world cup?
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Under current rules - yes, and I don't see that changing. The more interesting question is who else out of the CONCACAF will qualify. There will likely be a few first-timers from the Caribbean and Central America.
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With 2026 having the teams expand from 32 to 48, they should let all three host teams in (IMHO). On the other hand, there's a good chance Mexico will qualify, and the US tends to qualify often (but not 2018!)
Great news! As long as US is able to exclude Mexicans from sneaking across (or under) the Great Wall on the pretense of wanting to watch soccer.
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As long as FIFA will make money, ignore the fact that the three countries are barely speaking to each other and the game is not plated at a world class level in 2 of the countries.
While it would be so great to have the World Cup in Morocco; the game is red hot there and in the rest of North and West Africa, giving those fans a once in a life time chance to see even one World Cup match. A short flight or ferry from Europe as well.
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Yeh right - Morocco hosting the world Cup.
great way to spend their money!
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The three soccer foundations have been doing a lot more than speaking to each other. How else could they have put together, and then sold, this bid? The governments are not the soccer federations, and the governments are not the people.
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After going out of his way to insult and alienate both Canada and Mexico, it's going to be very interesting to see how quickly Donald Trump can foil this one up.
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Let's make sure The Con Don isn't lurking around OUR white house then, N. Smith.
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@njglea
Totally agree. But the thing is, he may take his cues from Vlad and install himself as presidente-for-life...I sincerely hope I'm wrong.
I am a football fan and will attend some matches - but will do so with nose firmly plugged against the stench that is FIFA. I absolutely loathe FIFA and wish to see its demise. The corruption and hubris continues and, I, for one, am glad that my city refused to go along with its outrageous demands for concessions where FIFA grabs the lion's share of profits while the host city pays (with tax dollars) almost all the costs. I fail to see why the powerhouses of Europe continue to tolerate this organisation . . . a pox on it.
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See also cycling. Europe tolerates the Union Cycliste Internationale and then some. FIFA and UCI are on par for each having lost its way. The only real option left is to burn them down and start anew.
At least by 2026 there is no chance Trump will still be president. Actually, I'm not even sure about that.
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Please, please, DJT, don't screw this up too.
Thank you for making everything about the greatest president ever!
The 2026 final should be held at Azteca Stadium in Mexico City, which hosted the final in 1970 (Brazil vs. Italy in Pele's showcase) and in 1986 (Argentina vs. West Germany in Maradona's showcase). It's in the capital of a futbol-mad country, unlike the U.S., and will draw a much larger and much more passionate audience than a final in any U.S. or Canadian venue could ever hope to draw.
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Azteca stadium at its high altitude and with polluted air would not be the place to settle who is the best team in 2026. Might as well have it in the Thunderdome... The final will sell out at any venue in the States, rest assured.
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Mexico City was at the same altitude when it hosted past World Cup matches and pollution has lessened in Mexico City in recent years.
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Just be sure to bring your personal bodyguard and your bulletproof vest, if going to Mexico City!
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The soccer world did Morocco an enormous favor. Not in a million years would they have the resources to spare to build the infrastructure needed to stage the World Cup tournament. Ask South Africa or Brazil or Sochi how many billions of dollars they spent on stadiums and facilities and infrastructure that is now unused and wasting away. North America could host the World Cup tomorrow, not having to build anything.
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