WC 2026: Morocco Expresses Interest to Host
The Moroccan Football Association, the Mexican Football Association, the United States Soccer Federation and the Canadian Soccer Association have expressed their interest to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, FIFA said on Friday 11 August 2017.
It would be Morocco's fifth candidacy having come up short already in 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010.
"Morocco considers itself capable of organsining a World Cup," youth and sports minister Rachid Talbi Alami told AFP.
"We have the necessary infrastructure in terms of stadiums, transport, hotel capacity and sanitation."
Morocco had won the right to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations but pulled out at the 11th hour over concerns related to the Ebola outbreak in western Africa at the time.
Morocco has hosted two Club World Cup tournaments, in 2013 and 2014, although that is a vastly smaller and shorter tournament.
In April, the United States, Canada and Mexico had already announced a joint North American bid to host the tournament.
If successful, Morocco would become only the second African country to host football's flagship event following South Africa in 2010.
It would be Morocco's fifth candidacy having come up short already in 1994, 1998, 2006 and 2010.
"Morocco considers itself capable of organsining a World Cup," youth and sports minister Rachid Talbi Alami told AFP.
"We have the necessary infrastructure in terms of stadiums, transport, hotel capacity and sanitation."
Morocco had won the right to host the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations but pulled out at the 11th hour over concerns related to the Ebola outbreak in western Africa at the time.
Morocco has hosted two Club World Cup tournaments, in 2013 and 2014, although that is a vastly smaller and shorter tournament.
In April, the United States, Canada and Mexico had already announced a joint North American bid to host the tournament.
If successful, Morocco would become only the second African country to host football's flagship event following South Africa in 2010.
On 11 May 2017, the 67th FIFA Congress approved a timeline for the next steps of the bidding process that will select the host(s) of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. According to the approved motion, Member Associations from CAF, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL and the OFC had three months – until 11 August 2017 – to express their interest in hosting the tournament.
The aforementioned interested Member Associations will now move on to officially register their bids and agree to the terms and conditions of the enhanced bidding process that will select the venue of the first FIFA World Cup to be played with 48 teams.
The next steps in this process are:
-FIFA to issue the bidding registration documents for the Member Associations to fill in.
-FIFA to issue bidding documents so that the Member Associations may commence their preparations.
-Member Associations to submit their bid book to FIFA by March 2018.
-FIFA to carry out an evaluation process, which will result in a report.
-Based on this report, the FIFA Council to designate the bids to be submitted to the FIFA Congress for a final decision.
-Finally, the decision on whether to select one of the above bidders to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup will be taken by the 68th FIFA Congress, which will convene in Moscow on 13 June next year, on the eve of the opening match of the 2018 FIFA World Cup.
No comments