Team USA won’t be participating in the 2018 World Cup but it still earned one win this summer.
The United States, Mexico and Canada will host the 2026 World Cup after FIFA voted Wednesday to award soccer’s biggest tournament to a “United Bid” of the three North American countries.
The U.S./Mexico/Canada bid received 134 votes from FIFA’s member nations, easily beating out its sole competitor, Morocco, which received just 65 votes, to bring the World Cup to North America for the first time since 1994.
The field will expand to 48 teams for the 2026 tournament, with the U.S. set to host 60 of the 80 total games and Canada and Mexico hosting 10 games apiece. Canada never has hosted a men’s World Cup game, while Mexico last hosted the World Cup in 1986.
Some expected Morocco to upset the United Bid, but the African country simply didn’t have the clout or stability to sway voters. The United Bid is promising $14 billion in revenue and already has existing stadiums, while Morocco would have to spend up to $16 billion just to build or renovate 14 venues.
MetLife Stadium, home of the New York Giants and Jets, is the proposed site of the 2026 World Cup final, while the New England Patriots’ Gillette Stadium also is among the finalists to host games.
