2026 W/Cup: Blatter Opposes US-Canada-Mexico Joint Bid, Affirms Support For Morocco

The North American bid for the 2026 FIFA World Cup faced another hurdle on Wednesday when former FIFA president Sepp Blatter affirmed his support for Morocco.

The US-Canada-Mexico joint bid is battling against a rival bid from Morocco for the right to stage the 23rd FIFA tournament, scheduled to take place in 2026.

Under the proposed plan of the triple bid, the United States would host 60 of the 80 matches, with Canada and Mexico hosting 10 games each.

Blatter who was banned amid a corruption scandal in 2015 said it was a “nightmare in organisation,” when FIFA staged the event in more than one country when it was co-hosted by South Korea and Japan in 2002.

The 82-year-old who was in charge of the football apex body for 17 years queried the joint Northern American bid as he suggested there was no reason for them to have a joint venture when one of the countries in the bid can solely host the competition.

He said joint bids were denied from Libya and Tunisia for the 2010 tournament, and Spain and Portugal, and Belgium and the Netherlands for 2018, because of a decision from FIFA not to consider a “combined organisation”.

“To have three big countries together… they have proven they can host it alone, so why are the three together?” Blatter told BBC’s Mani Djazmi.

The disgraced former president also criticised a task-force introduced for the 2026 bidding process which has the power to exclude a bid to host the competition before the vote at FIFA’s congress.

“They cannot do that,” Blatter said.

“Even if one of the candidates is not a good one, they have the right to be at the congress.

“That’s why I’m advocating that Morocco has to go to the congress. Morocco cannot be kicked out before the congress,” the 82-year-old added.

Recall that in March Blatter openly threw his weight behind Morocco saying, “If Morocco is able to organise this World Cup with 48 teams, then it must be chosen,” he also had described Morocco as “the logical choice” to host tournament.

The North African nation is making a fifth bid to host the World Cup, having failed to land the 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010 editions.

The hosts of the 2026 World Cup will be announced on 13 June.