The Joint World Cup Bid Between The US, Mexico, & Canada Is Really Happening

The press conference at the top of One World Trade Center started a few minutes late and opened in somewhat awkward fashion— US Soccer president Sunil Gulati, Mexican Football Federation president Decio de María, CONCACAF and Canadian Soccer Association chief Victor Montagliani, and host Alexi Lalas milling about uncomfortably while the opening refrains from “Can’t Hold Us” played over the PA. After a few moments, Lalas took control of things and started talking about growing up in Michigan and playing soccer when the US won the hosting rights for the 1994 World Cup and how much it meant to him.
Finally, Lalas yielded the floor to Gulati, who made things official; the US, Canada, and Mexico are bidding to host the 2026 World Cup.
Gulati said conversations about a joint bid began years ago. While he did not specify exactly when, it’s not that far of a leap to suggest that they were spurred in part from US Soccer’s experience bidding for the 2022 World Cup— ultimately awarded to Qatar— and the realization of a strong anti-American voting bloc in FIFA. (It’s also not that far of a leap to suggest that the joint bid is being made to get around that.)
Montagliani noted that all three men on the dais are children of immigrants and that they are keenly aware of the World Cup’s promise of global unity. De María praised the bid as “a very important day for Mexican football.”
After giving some short speeches and fielding questions from the press, all three federation heads signed the Memorandum Of Understanding, officially launching the bid process.
Some highlights from the announcement: