North America’s bid to host 2026 World Cup jeopardized by falling U.S. popularity

The Washington Post ^ | 12-18-2017 | Steven Goff

[Trump20162020]

The North American bid to stage the 2026 World Cup seems like a sure thing. From stadiums and infrastructure to commercial opportunities and organizational experience, the joint effort by the United States, Mexico and Canada appears to meet all the necessary requirements (and then some) to host soccer’s premier competition.

The proposal would mesh more than a half-billion people from three countries that have put on 12 FIFA tournaments (men and women, senior and youth). With European and Asian countries ineligible to bid and South America waiting for 2030, the only challenger is Morocco, a country of similar size and population to California.

No contest, right? Not so fast.

As the sides finalize their bids ahead of the March 16 deadline, there is growing concern in some U.S. circles that a North American victory celebration after the FIFA vote June 13 in Moscow is not as certain as once thought.

Behind the scenes, those familiar with the tri-nation effort are worried many FIFA member countries — and, by extension, continental voting blocs — are leaning toward Morocco.

Rather, they stem from a precipitous decline in U.S. popularity around the world and, to a smaller extent, the fact that the American judicial system took the lead in prosecuting FIFA scandals. While the exposure of misconduct has helped cleanse the sport’s tarnished international governing body, some in world soccer apparently aren’t happy with the U.S. government’s aggressive role.

The inclusion of Mexico and Canada should broaden the bid’s appeal. Of the 80 matches, 60 would take place in U.S. venues and 10 apiece in the other two countries. The 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 teams, an increase of 16.

[piasa]

2010 summer : (MEMBERS OF A NY-BASED FBI SQUAD ASSIGNED TO INVESTIGATE ‘EURASIAN ORGANIZED CRIME’ MET WITH ORBIS’ CHRISTOPHER STEELE [see GLENN SIMPSON OF FUSION GPS] IN LONDON TO DISCUSS POSSIBLE CORRUPTION IN SWISS-BASED FIFA [See WORLD CUP SOCCER]; ORBIS HAD BEEN HIRED BY BRITAIN’S FOOTBALL ASSOCIATION WHICH HOPED TO HOST THE 2018 OR 2020 WORLD CUPS... BUT THOSE HONORS EVENTUALLY - in Dec 2010- WENT TO MOSCOW AND QATAR...) Steele fed info on behalf of the British football ssociation to the FBI and raked in big bucks,...did the FBI buy the info too?

[Roman_War_Criminal]

neither is good old American ignorance, arrogance & plain old stupidity.