France to back Morocco over U.S.-led joint bid for 2026 World Cup
The North American joint bid for the 2026 World Cup is becoming less plausible with each passing day, with the French Football Federation (FFF) being the latest to throw its support behind Morocco's efforts to host the quadrennial event.
"I don't see myself not supporting a country that is close to us," FFF president Noel Le Graet told L'Equipe. "Africa has only had one World Cup. That's not a lot."
A joint bid from the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the expanded 48-team competition was an early front-runner before Morocco threw its hat in the ring on Aug. 11, 2017. And with a 211 FIFA member nation vote set to take place June 13 - a day before the 2018 World Cup kicks off - Le Graet echoed the sentiments of several other football federation executives.
"Morocco is ready, even if they don't have the same means as their fellow contenders. France only has one vote, but perhaps we will give momentum in Europe to choose Morocco," he added.
The Moroccan bid is likely to be heavily supported by African, South American, and Asian football federations. Representatives from federations from Belgium, Algeria, Nigeria, Russia, Serbia, and nine others have already publicly backed Morocco's bid, giving the North African nation a massive advantage towards acquiring the 104 necessary votes.
It is the fifth time Morocco has bid to host the World Cup.