FIFA President Gianni Infantino revealed the host of the 2026 World Cup will "likely be decided" in '20, and has promised to make the bidding and selection process "absolutely bulletproof" as he seeks to restore the organization's "tarnished reputation," according to ESPN. Infantino: "The thinking now is we will start with the process now, the consultation process, with a decision to be taken probably in 2020, six years before the World Cup." Infantino then stated his desire for an "above-board bidding and selection process, given the controversy surrounding the awarding" of the '18 and '22 editions. He said, "We have to make sure that this bidding process is absolutely bulletproof, that we create a transparent process and this takes of course a little bit of time, a little bit of consultation. And so we start the process now. It will take three or four years and we will make a decision." Earlier this month, Infantino "denied any wrongdoing after a massive document leak linked him" to two businessmen who were among those indicted by U.S. authorities last year. And he "remained adamant" that he has "done nothing wrong." Infantino: "I have made it very clear that this whole situation is basically a non-story. There was a tender process. Everything is well documented. It has been done completely transparently and properly. If then after the deal has been concluded some people have committed a criminal activity, then these people need to be judged." Infantino additionally addressed the women's game, calling prize money for the Women's World Cup "very low," and suggested that it "should be increased." He said that while the prize money for the winner doubled from the 2011 Women's World Cup in Germany to last year's event in Canada, it is still "very low compared to what it could be or should be" (ESPN, 4/13).
