The next round of the geopolitical battle between the U.S. and China "could well be played out" on the football field, or, "more accurately, off it," according to Mark Dreyer of the GLOBAL TIMES. While discussing England's future plans to bid for the FIFA World Cup, English FA Chair Greg Dyke "recently stated unequivocally" that the '26 edition of football's showpiece event would be held in North America. While his comment is "premature," Dyke and his colleagues "successfully backed" Gianni Infantino in his bid last week to become the new FIFA president. That alone "suggests Dyke's views must at least be respected." Meanwhile, it is thought that China supported Bahrain's Sheikh Salman bin Ebrahim Al Khalifa, "dealing a blow to Beijing's future power-brokering ability." The U.S. is the presumed front-runner from North America "once the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup gets underway." But its "strongest compettion could come from China." Current FIFA regulations prevent Asian Football Confederation members, of which China is one, from bidding for the 2026 World Cup, since Qatar -- another AFC member -- will host the '22 event. But the original rule preventing AFC members from bidding for either the '26 or '30 tournaments has "already been amended." Equally, it is not "beyond the realm of possibility" that the bidding process rules will again be changed once the new FIFA leadership settles in, "which could also open the door to a Chinese bid" for '26 (GLOBAL TIMES, 3/1).
