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Events and Attractions

Hope Solo Campaigning Against North American World Cup Bid

Solo ran for U.S. Soccer President but received only 1.4% of the votes in the February electiongetty images

Former USWNT G Hope Solo "wants her country to lose" its bid for hosting the '26 FIFA World Cup, according to the AP. Solo said, "I can't say it should be awarded to Morocco. But I don't think it should go to the United States, and that's hard to say." By choosing to "actively campaign against the U.S.-led North America bid, Solo risks alienating herself further from the soccer community in her homeland." Solo ran for the USSF presidency in February, and there was a "resounding verdict," as Solo garnered only 1.4% of the vote to "finish last out of five candidates." Her complaints "provide a counterpoint to the loyal championing" of the North American bid by David Beckham in a "video released by MLS." Solo said that the USSF "lacks integrity and highlights the absence of an independent ethics committee, which FIFA has." Up to 207 soccer federations "will vote next Wednesday in Moscow on whether North America or Morocco should host" the '26 World Cup, or the bidding "should be reopened by choosing 'none of the above.'" Solo said, "Hopefully FIFA can stand up and step in and say, 'If we're going to reward you, let's look at everything and point out where you can fix certain things'" (AP, 6/7).

MOMENT OF TRUTH: SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL's Ian Thomas noted it "hasn’t even been four months" since USSF President Carlos Cordeiro began his new role, and he has "already arrived at a moment that will instantly and permanently define his legacy" with the upcoming '26 World Cup vote. If the North American bid wins, the U.S. "plans to host 60 of the 80 World Cup games, and to say that doing so would present an opportunity for a sea change for soccer in America is an understatement." It would "further fuel soccer’s growth in popularity and perhaps put it on a path to one day become America’s most popular sport." It also comes at "perhaps the most crucial time in the history of U.S. Soccer." While the success of the three-time World Cup-winning U.S. women’s team has "helped hide many of the federation’s warts over the last decade, the failure of the U.S. men’s team to qualify" for the World Cup "brought them to the surface." Those issues -- "most prominently youth development, pay-to-play and creating a more inclusive federation -- saw further sunlight during the vitriolic campaigning before Cordeiro’s election in February." His pitch is "simple." The North American bid "promises to deliver a level of financial success unheard of in FIFA’s 114-year history, to the tune of more" than $14B in revenue (SPORTSBUSINESS JOURNAL, 6/4 issue).

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