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Join on Telegram Rabat- United 2026 has won the rights to host the 2026 World Cup with 67% percent of the vote on Wednesday at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow.
Morocco’s bid was knocked out from the race with 65 votes, amounting to 33% of the vote.
Seven countries were not entitled to vote.
Before the vote, FIFA President Gianni Infantino said that FIFA will ensure transparency and share the data regarding the 2026 World Cup.
He added that some news outlets have not reported on how FIFA made efforts to ensure this, but they rather reported on the mistakes FIFA made.
Infantino was criticized by Moroccan football fans for his alleged bias against the Moroccan bid.
He also emphasized FIFA’s program to develop football around the world as the football governing body invested four times in previous years to develop football globally.
In his address to the FIFA Congress, he explained that what is important to the football organization is “the development of football.”
He also promised that there will be more achievements to come, thanking the FIFA council and the football associations in attendance.
The vote started after the bidding nations introduced their bids in front of FIFA delegates and football association representatives.
The Secretary General of FIFA Council Fatma Samoura talked about the assessments of the FIFA task force, which evaluated the two bids. The task force gave Morocco’s bid 2.7 out of 5, while the US bid received 4 out of 5.
Since the creation of FIFA 100 years ago, Africa has only hosted the tournament once in South Africa in 2010.
Morocco had expressed its hopes to be the second African country to host the tournament four times before.
“It’s a bid for a whole nation,” said Chairman of the Moroccan bid committee Moulay Hafid Elalamy in front of the Congress.
He touted Morocco’s strategic projects throughout the years, including the high speed train, a solar power plan and investments.
Elalamy also discussed Morocco’s stability, which is recognized by international powers. He also noted that it is illegal to use firearms in Morocco.
He also added that the country receives thousands of tourists, and Morocco would sell game tickets for reasonable prices.
More Americans to show interest in football
Americans have not always been obsessed with football. However, in recent years there has been an increased interest in the game, called soccer in the US. In the past few years, more and more Americans have taken up football as their favorite sport.
At the same time, the sport is becoming more accessible to Americans. With the hosting of the FIFA 2026 World Cup, it is expected that millions of Americans will turn towards football. Sports websites, such as Power Sports Memorabilia, are expecting to see a surge of visitors looking to buy football equipment.
