Cordeiro believes that the joint North American bid would result in record World Cup revenues GETTY IMAGES
United Bid Committee co-Chair Carlos Cordeiro said that the joint North American bid for the '26 World Cup has "received 'no backlash' from prospective voters about policies and statements from the administration" of President Trump, according to Jeff Carlisle of ESPN.com. Committee co-Chair Decio de Maria said, "Our bid offers experience." Cordeiro added that the joint bid "would result in record revenues." Asked specifically if geopolitical concerns and policies by the Trump administration had resulted in a backlash from voters, Cordeiro said that "they hadn't." He said, "This is not geopolitics. We're talking about football and what is fundamentally, at the end of the day, what is in the best interests of football and our footballing community. We've had no backlash. We focused on the merits of our bid." Asked about how confident he was voters could make a merit-based decision, Cordeiro said, "We're not concerned about the issues (related to possible corruption)" (ESPN.com, 3/19). Cordeiro said that the bid has "suggested to FIFA that there should be one game in each host nation on the tournament’s opening day." In Philadelphia, Jonathan Tannenwald notes since '06, FIFA’s custom has been to "have the host nation’s opener be the only game of the first day." With three hosts in '26, three games "would make sense." Cordeiro also "admitted that the proposed split of games between the three countries -- 60 in the U.S. and 10 each in Canada and Mexico -- could be changed down the road" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 3/20).
KEEP IT CLEAN: Tannenwald writes the United Bid Committee co-chairs "know that while their proposal should be a shoo-in favorite, its promises of clean money and transparent governance are seen by some in the global game as vices, not virtues." The Morocco bid will "scrape for every advantage it can gain, fair or not." That is why "even in an age of instant digital communication, personal interactions still matter" (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 3/20). USA TODAY's Martin Rogers cites an exec from a national federation with FIFA voting rights as saying that the North American bid is "suffering because it is not seen as equally divided among the three countries." Other issues impacting North American prospects that are mentioned around the globe "include the incendiary presidency" of Trump, "high-profile gun violence in the U.S., the forceful manner in which U.S. authorities have sought to crack down on FIFA corruption, the fact that the U.S. hosted a World Cup as recently as 1994 and a raft of logistical factors." Morocco is "effectively playing the role of spoiler, and to this point, is doing it well" (USA TODAY, 3/20). In Vancouver, Ed Willes writes, "Lord knows, politics never enters the equation when it comes to FIFA or a Cup bid" (Vancouver PROVINCE, 3/20). In Montreal, Jack Todd wrote under the header, "Montreal Must Get Out Of World Cup Bid Before It's Too Late." FIFA "gets everything." Todd: "We get nothing -- and the potential cost at the end of the day could be catastrophic. It could not be simpler" (MONTREAL GAZETTE, 3/19).
