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Cape Town - The North America (USA-Mexico-Canada) joint bid was awarded hosting rights for the 2026 Soccer World Cup ahead of African nation Morocco on Wednesday.
READ: North America named 2026 World Cup hosts
According to the FIFA.com website, 11 African countries voted for North America to host the global showpiece in 2026.
2010 hosts South Africa, along with Guinea, Liberia, Benin, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Lesotho, Mozambique, Namibia, Cape Verde, and Zimbabwe all voted for USA-Mexico-Canada's joint bid.
At the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow, Morocco received 65 votes (33%) while North America claimed 134 votes (67%).
“We were very hopeful but, at the end of the day, if you lose a certain number of votes from your own continent, and from some of our Arab brothers, who flipped coins, then you have no chance,” said Morocco bid ambassador Daniel Amokachi.
Morocco had hopes of being only the second nation to host an African World Cup, but failed in their fifth straight attempt as they have previously vied for the 2002, 2006, 2010 and 2022 tournament.
The 2026 edition is set to be the first tournament with 48 teams playing 80 matches over 34 days after FIFA implemented a restructure to the contest last year.
