By Andrew Warshaw
May 20 – FIFA will agree the bidding regulations for the 2026 World Cup next week with Europe and Asia almost certain to be excluded.
FIFA’s executive committee will consider “approval of bidding regulations” for 2026 and with their rules stating that confederations which hosted the previous two World Cups cannot enter, the field would appear to be between Africa, South America and the favorites, north and central America.
CONCACAF, which has not hosted the tournament since 1994, believe 2026 is their turn by right on a rotational basis in which case the United States could theoretically go head to head with Mexico and possibly Canada.
But FIFA may decide next week that Africa and South America should also be allowed to submit bids.
FIFA will choose the 2026 host in a May 2017 ballot of all 209 federations, the first time the entire membership will vote, one of the key reforms passed following the controversial joint ballot that handed 2018 to Russia and 2022 to Qatar who upset the favoured American bid 14-8 in the final round of voting in December 2010.
The entire process was investigated by former US federal prosecutor Michael Garcia who resigned last December in protest at ethics judge Joachim Eckert’s summation in his report on the inquiry.
FIFA secretary general Jerome Valcke has already promised greater scrutiny of candidates in future.
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