FIFA awards 2026 World Cup to joint bid by U.S., Mexico, Canada

FIFA voted Wednesday to award the 2026 World Cup hosting rights to the unprecedented three-way joint bid by CONCACAF nations the United States, Mexico, and Canada, beating out the other bid from Morocco by 69 votes.

The World Cup was previously hosted by the U.S. in 1994, and by Mexico in 1970 and 1986. Canada has never hosted a World Cup match, but did host the most recent Women's World Cup in 2015.

The joint North American bid received 134 votes, Morocco received 65, and one member voted for neither of the candidates.

The 2026 World Cup tournament is expected to be the first with an expanded 48-team field.

The three host nations have yet to be granted automatic qualification spots, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino saying discussions on that front are ongoing and that any automatic qualification slots will come out of CONCACAF's allotment.

The U.S. will host 60 of the 80 matches under the current plan, while Mexico and Canada will host 10 matches each. Host cities have yet to be finalized among the 23 candidates (17 in the U.S., three in Mexico, and three in Canada).

The largest venue under consideration is AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, home of the NFL's Dallas Cowboys, with a capacity of 92,467.

The smallest venue is BMO Field in Toronto, home of MLS champion Toronto FC, with a capacity of 45,000.