The group hoping to bring the 2026 World Cup to North America has defended its decision for a 60-10-10 split in games.
The plan calls for the U.S. to stage 60 games with 10 in each of Canada and Mexico.
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Carlos Cordeiro, president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, called it “the most optimal mix of cities and matches.” And he said the bid is not anticipating that the world governing body of soccer make any changes to its proposal, assuming it wins.
The so-called unified bid is up against Morocco to stage the men’s soccer showcase. A decision on the winning bid will be made June 13 at the FIFA Congress.
The North American bid features 23 candidate host cities — including three in Mexico and three in Canada: Edmonton, Toronto and Montreal. That list will be likely be reduced to no more than 16 by FIFA should the North American bid prevail.
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Vancouver, Chicago and Minneapolis were among the list of potential host cities, but they all dropped out at the last minute over concerns about FIFA’s demands.