Rabat – Argentina’s former football legend Diego Maradona has criticized the North American win of hosting rights to the 2026 World Cup, decrying the lack of football passion in Canada and the United States.
Maradona also expressed disappointment over Mexico’s joint bid.
“Mexico doesn’t deserve it,” Maradona told television channel Telesur.
“The Mexicans come up against Brazil or Germany…and ‘boom’ they’re out,” he said.
2026 will be the third time for Mexico to host the World Cup.
According to Maradona, “Canadians may be good skiers, and the Americans wanted to have four periods of 25 [minutes] for the advertising.”
FIFA’s 68th Congress decided on Wednesday that the North American countries will host the 23rd World Cup in 2026. United 2026, the North American bid, received 134 votes from all corners of the continent, including the Middle East, Europe, Asia, Africa, and Latin America.
In April, Maradona appeared in a photo with Brazilian footballer Rivaldo Vitor Borba Ferreira, in which both are wearing Morocco’s national football team jersey.
Maradona is known for his love for Morocco and King Mohammed VI. During his visit to Morocco on November 2015, the star was filmed dancing to Moroccan rhythms on the 40th anniversary of the Moroccan Green March, when he performed a gala match in Laayoune.
During Morocco’s 2026 campaign, Maradona said that “Morocco’s infrastructure has developed strongly.”
