Morocco and a joint USA-Mexico-Canada have officially submitted their bid books for the 2026 World Cup to FIFA at the football governing body’s head quarters in Zurich.
FIFA president Gianni Infantino confirmed that they had indeed received two bids after the deadline yesterday saying,
“We have two bids in play, one is a joint bid involving Canada, United States and Mexico, one is Morocco.”
“Today these bids were presented and they will be looked at thoroughly by a technical task force. We will evaluate the two bids. We will visit the venues and then decide if the two bids live up to the minimum requirements. If they are, the decision will be taken to congress,” he added.
Morocco’s bid book took meticulous planning and covers 24 sections covering the country’s vision for the competition, strategy and sustainable development goals. They had to sign more than 200 local and national contracts, including agreements with host cities, airports, stadiums,among other requirements.
Bidding against a joint USA-Mexico-Canada came as a surprise with many claiming Morocco was using the bid as a PR stunt. Critics have been claiming Morocco wouldn’t have the structures to host an expanded 48-team World Cup but Morocco’s bid CEO Hicham El Amrani is of a different view.
[perfectpullquote align=”full” cite=”” link=”” color=”” class=”” size=””]“You can not bid for such a tournament especially the one that has been increased to 48 teams without careful consideration, it wasn’t a light decision,”[/perfectpullquote]
the former CAF secretary general told BBC.
“We don’t need to highlight the passion that we have for the games so for us, bidding combines all the important factors that provide joy and pride to this country.”
This is Morocco’s fifth time bidding for the World Cup. They previously campaigned for the right to host the 1994, 1998, 2006, and 2010 editions but were unfortunate to lose out on all occasions.
The bidders had up-to 1600hrs GMT on Friday to hand in their bid books with detailed plans, their vision and strategy for the tournament. Following the delivery of the bid books, FIFA will appoint a task force to decide whether the bids are up to standard.
Should both bids pass all aspects, (unlike in the past where top only FIFA’s executives would vote) starting this year, all the 207 member associations of FIFA will cast their vote and choose the country to host the 2026 World Cup on June 13th.
The North Americans will definitely be touting their large-capacity stadiums, in-place infrastructure and proven experience hosting big events. On the other hand, Morocco is strategically located in a sweet time zone that would attract critical European audiences, sponsors and has a Mediterranean climate that is conducive for the game and tourists.
