Morocco loses bid to host 2026 World Cup

The 2026 World Cup will be held in the United States, Canada and Mexico after their joint bid beat Morocco's proposal to host it. The 'United 2026' bid was selected by FIFA member nations, winning 134 votes compared to 65 for Morocco.

The 2026 tournament will be the biggest World Cup ever held - with 48 teams playing 80 matches over 34 days.

Of the 211 FIFA member nations, 200 cast a vote at the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow today with the winning bid needing a majority of 104.  Canada, Mexico, Morocco and the US were exempt, while Ghana was absent after the country's government said it had disbanded its football association amid allegations of "widespread" corruption.

The 'United' World Cup will generate 14 billion dollars in revenue and make an 11 billion dollars profit for FIFA.  Of the 16 host cities, 10 will be in the United States while the remainder will be split evenly between Canada and Mexico.

Sixty matches will take place in the US, while Canada and Mexico will host 10 games each. The tournament will mark the first time a World Cup has been shared by three host nations.

The 1994 World Cup, staged by the US, had the highest average attendance in the tournament's history, while Mexico was the first nation to host the event twice.

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