A joint bid from the U.S., Canada and Mexico to host the 48-team 2026 World Cup is expected to be finalized this year for submission to FIFA, CONCACAF President Victor Montagliani said, according to David Conn of the London GUARDIAN. Montagliani contrasted the prospect of the countries "cooperating on a World Cup" with the "division represented by the wall along the border with Mexico" planned by U.S. President Donald Trump. Montagliani: "Canada, the U.S. and Mexico are aiming for a joint bid, the idea has been around for a while, discussions are continuing and it is a very exciting proposition if it comes to fruition. We have had nothing but positive remarks about it and it is a very strong sign of what football can do to bring countries together." Asked if he was "referring to Trump’s belligerent rhetoric about building a wall," Montagliani, a Canadian insurance exec elected as the CONCACAF president last May, said that football has to "rise above" all kinds of political regimes "which many people dislike." He said, "It behooves football and leaders of football to deal with it and rise above it." Although each country individually "would have the infrastructure to host the World Cup alone," Montagliani said that a joint bid would be "a fit" with the new 48-country, 80-game format. A final decision is likely to be taken "sometime this year" (GUARDIAN, 4/6).
