A joint bid made up of the U.S., Canada and Mexico won the rights on Wednesday to host the 2026 World Cup, "defeating Morocco and bouncing back from an unfathomable U.S. defeat to Qatar in voting" for the '22 event eight years ago, according to Steven Goff of the WASHINGTON POST. The North American bid won in a "landslide vote 134-65." It will mark the "first time three countries have shared the planet's most popular sporting event." The U.S. will "stage 60 of the 80 matches, including all from the quarterfinals on, while Mexico and Canada will get 10 apiece." Wednesday's vote "provided a much-needed victory" for American soccer, which is "in the process of rebuilding the men's program" in the wake of failing to qualify for the World Cup in Russia. The bid victory will also "stack the U.S. sports landscape with major competitions in perhaps three consecutive years." Besides the '26 World Cup, U.S. Soccer is "tentatively planning to bid" for the 2027 Women's World Cup and L.A. is set to host the 2028 Olympics (WASHINGTON POST, 6/13). Complete coverage is available in THE DAILY.
