Donald Trump is as keen as anyone to celebrate an American soccer success story.
The United States president praised the soccer federations of the U.S., Canada and Mexico on Wednesday morning via Twitter after they won the right to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
The “United Bid” defeated Morocco 134-65 in a vote of FIFA’s member nations to bring the men’s World Cup back to North America for the first time since 1994.
Trump publicly backed the joint bid in April and threatened its would-be opponents with potential retaliation if they favored Morocco.
Justin Trudeau and Enrique Pena Nieto, Trump’s counterparts from Canada and Mexico, respectively, also sent congratulatory messages to the “United Bid.”
The tournament will be the first under an expanded 48-team, 80-game format (up from the current 32 teams and 64 games). The U.S. will host 60 of the matches, including all from the quarterfinal onward, while Mexico and Canada will host 10 apiece.
