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The three countries won the right to host the
World Cup in a united North American bid. FIFA historically has
given host nations the right to play in the World Cup without
going through the usual qualification tournaments, though this
is the first time FIFA had to set aside three host bids.
The tournament is set to expand from 32 teams to 48 in 2026.
Another three berths will be awarded to CONCACAF nations via
qualifying.
FIFA released a statement Tuesday saying, "In addition, the FIFA
Council confirmed that, in line with the long-standing tradition
of having all hosts competing at the FIFA World Cup, as well as
sporting and operational considerations, the hosts of the FIFA
World Cup 2026, namely Canada, Mexico and the USA, will qualify
automatically for the final round of the competition, with their
slots therefore being deducted from the overall allocation of
six assigned to CONCACAF."
While the U.S. and Mexico tend to qualify for most World Cups,
it was good news for Canada, whose men's national team broke a
36-year drought between World Cup appearances when it qualified
for Qatar in 2022. Canada lost all three of its group-stage
matches.
The FIFA Council also determined its timetable for bidding for
the right to host the 2030 World Cup, saying it will make its
decision next year.
That meeting will be separate from FIFA's meeting to select a
host for the 2027 Women's World Cup, which will be held first,
earlier in 2024.
There are three confirmed bids for 2030 hosting duties: a South
American joint bid featuring Uruguay, Argentina, Paraguay and
Chile; a Spain-Portugal joint bid that added war-torn Ukraine
last year; and Morocco.
--Field Level Media
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