Gulati raises concerns about U.S.-led bid for 2026 World Cup.GETTY IMAGES
Outgoing U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati raised concerns about the country's 2026 World Cup bid as a new poll showed global confidence in American leadership is "at an all-time low," according to the London GUARDIAN. The U.S. is "widely seen as a favorite to win the bid" for the '26 tournament, which it plans to co-host with Mexico and Canada. However, a new poll of 134 countries showed global approval for the U.S. has fallen from 48% under Barack Obama’s presidency to 30% after one year of Donald Trump. According to the survey, Germany and China are "now seen as more reliable world leaders" than the U.S. The North American bid is backed by "far better infrastructure than Morocco," the only other rival for the hosting rights. However, Gulati said that "other factors could come into play." He said, "This is not only about our stadiums and our hotels and all that. It's about perceptions of America, and it's a difficult time in the world. So there's only certain things we can control. We can't control what happens at the 38th parallel in Korea, we can't control what happens with embassies in Tel Aviv, and we can't control what happens with climate change accords" (GUARDIAN, 1/18).
