Rabat - While the Arab world and Africa are set to support Morocco’s 2026 World Cup bid, thus giving the African Kingdom an edge over United 26, Saudi Arabia has chosen to lend its support to United 26.
Rabat – While the Arab world and Africa are set to support Morocco’s 2026 World Cup bid, thus giving the African Kingdom an edge over United 26, Saudi Arabia has chosen to lend its support to United 26.
Earlier today, the chairman of the Saudi general Sports Authority (GSA) Turki Al Sheikh met with Carlos Cordeiro, the president of the United States Soccer (footabll) Federation, to express Saudi Arabia’s country’s endorsement of the joint American bid (USA/Canada/Mexico).
“I was pleased to meet Mr. Carlos Cordeiro, the president of the United States Soccer Federation, and chairman of the United 2026,” the Saudi official said on Twitter shortly after his meeting with the chairman of the North American joint bid.
Mr. Al Sheikh’s latest move is the consolidation or confirmation of a series of tweets the Saudi recently posted about his country’s position on the 2026 bid.
Saudi football’s chairman’s position has been dubbed as a purely political move, and one that puts the country’s bilateral and strategic relationships with the U.S over its closeness with the Arab world which is overwhelmingly in favor of a Moroccan win on June 13.
Others have linked Saudi Arabia’s decision not to support Morocco’s bid with the North African Kingdom’s neutral position in the Gulf crisis.
“We will look for Saudi Arabia’s interest first,” Mr. Al Sheick responded some weeks ago while commenting on the high probability that his country would rather choose the bid featuring its most important strategic ally: the U.S.
“Friendship and fraternity have been very detrimental to the Saudis… what really matters to me is that the 2026 World Cup needs to be hosted in the best conditions,” the Saudi also said in mid-March, again tacitly suggesting that United 26 was the Saudi federation’s choice.