Posted on 12/19/2017 8:04:25 AM PST by Trump20162020
The North American bid to stage the 2026 World Cup seems like a sure thing. From stadiums and infrastructure to commercial opportunities and organizational experience, the joint effort by the United States, Mexico and Canada appears to meet all the necessary requirements (and then some) to host soccers premier competition.
The proposal would mesh more than a half-billion people from three countries that have put on 12 FIFA tournaments (men and women, senior and youth). With European and Asian countries ineligible to bid and South America waiting for 2030, the only challenger is Morocco, a country of similar size and population to California.
No contest, right? Not so fast.
As the sides finalize their bids ahead of the March 16 deadline, there is growing concern in some U.S. circles that a North American victory celebration after the FIFA vote June 13 in Moscow is not as certain as once thought.
Behind the scenes, those familiar with the tri-nation effort are worried many FIFA member countries and, by extension, continental voting blocs are leaning toward Morocco.
Rather, they stem from a precipitous decline in U.S. popularity around the world and, to a smaller extent, the fact that the American judicial system took the lead in prosecuting FIFA scandals. While the exposure of misconduct has helped cleanse the sports tarnished international governing body, some in world soccer apparently arent happy with the U.S. governments aggressive role.
The inclusion of Mexico and Canada should broaden the bids appeal. Of the 80 matches, 60 would take place in U.S. venues and 10 apiece in the other two countries. The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 teams, an increase of 16.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Where is that tiny violin?
Oh noes!! Now Ill have to continue to watch a sport I really dont give a Shiite about on TV (when nothing else is on and the world is ending).
Gee, who would ever think the Washington Post would frame it this way?/s
Americans don’t want to watch men run around in short pants kicking a ball.
Dr. Xenophobe
Wait until they analyze how many soccer jerseys, and how much beer, they can sell in Morocco. It is coming to North America, despite the fact that Canadian soccer has gone from weak to practically non-existent...
Who would even travel to Morocco?
I’d rather the US host the Cricket World Series before anything soccer. (And the Cricket World Series doesn’t exist yet.)
Correction: World Series Cricket doesn’t exist anymore; it existed briefly from 1977 to 1979.
I remember the good old days when soccer wasn’t considered a sport here.
No loss.
Excellent! We don’t want to help soccer by popularizing it in the worlds largest consumer market. That would make those soccer nerds around the world rich.
Instead, we should give them a sharp scalpel and a suture kit to safely remove their nose from their ugly faces.
I never gave in to that sentiment, and stuck to American exceptionalism vs Globalist hegemony. However, with a few changes...
....maybe we could be swayed and soccer would be more popular.
Boo hoo hoo.
I can’t possibly care no less.
Actually the 1994 World Cup, played in the US, still holds the record for highest attended tournament - and there were few games in 94 then in subsequent tournaments.
The dolts that run FIFA should be fired on the spot if they pick MOROCCO over the US.
... and flopping around like fish out of water in faux-pain when one player farts in the general direction of another. Lord help them when they actually touch each other and the red cards slice through arteries and players die.
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