FIFA's Gianni Infantino Encourages Co-Hosting For '26 World Cup

FIFA President Gianni Infantino today said that he "intends to encourage co-hosting" for the '26 World Cup, which "could divide the tournament up between as many as four countries." Infantino said, "We will encourage co-hosting for the World Cup because we need FIFA to show we are reasonable and we have to think about sustainability long-term." Concern "has been raised about the financial burden placed on a single tournament host, and the bad publicity generated by stadiums built and then abandoned after use" (REUTERS, 2/16).

Infantino also said that he "did not fear hooligan troubles" at next year's World Cup in Russia and that he "has not asked Deputy Prime Minister Vitaly Mutko to resign as chief organiser." The comments came ahead of the broadcast of a TV documentary in the U.K. in which "Russian hardline fans are said to threaten trouble against English fans who go to the World Cup" (AFP, 2/16).