The FIFA World Cup, the biggest gathering of international football teams every four years to compete for the coveted World Cup, could be played on African soil for the second time.
South Africa became the first African country to host the World Cup in 2010 and now the continent is on a blink of hosting 2026 edition as Morocco’s bid has passed the crucial evaluation test.
Morocco will face a joint bid from the United States, Mexico and Canada in the voting process slated for June 13 in Moscow during 68th FIFA Congress that will be attended by 207 member associations.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“Breaking: I understand Morocco’s 2026 World Cup vote has successfully passed a crucial evaluation test (Fifa task force report) and WILL be on the ballot against the US / Canada / Mexico on June 13,”[/perfectpullquote]
revealed Richard Conway, sports news correspondent at BBC Sport in a tweet.
Morocco presented its bid book on March but since then international observers alike feared that FIFA was working behind the scenes to eliminate the bid after Fifa’s bid evaluation task force visited the candidates, and following their assessment.
The north African nation has pre-selected 12 cities and 14 stadiums with Casablanca, the economic hub, and Marrakesh, its tourist capital, each having two stadiums, while the others will be spread around the country, the largest in Tangiers boasting a 93,000-seat capacity.
Fifa’s bid evaluation task force deployed form Zurich visited all facilities in April where its members spent days surveying stadiums, hotels, training camps, and other World Cup sites.
Earlier last month, U.S. President Donald Trump threatened action against countries that vote against the joint bid.
FIFA however cautioned against any political interference in the process, threatening action against any side that does so.
The 2026 World Cup will for the first time be played with 48 teams after a decision to increase the number from 32.
