There’s a lot riding on 2026 FIFA World Cup in the US, Canada and Mexico. 

It’s often sold as the moment America finally gets it: When the game catches fire as a professional entertainment product, justifying the investment money flowing in to the MLS and the accompanying franchise valuations, which don’t seem to make sense unless something transformative is about to happen. 

So 2026 as catalyst: No pressure. 

But as ever when it comes to FIFA, there are subplots…

We still don’t know where the games will take place and patience is wearing thin among the 17 US cities that have submitted bids to host matches in 2026. 

Site visits have been completed, small print pored over. Expensive demands have been made, from the quality of turf to policing and security through to Human Rights promises. 

And still they wait. It was going to be last year. Now a date in Q2 is the next deadline for announcements. Yes, COVID, but not only COVID. 

When it comes to organising and running a World Cup, 2026 is the first time FIFA has taken everything in-house.

This scraps the role of the local organising committee - think London 2012 without LOCOG. 

So any delays - the city hosting decision is a pretty big one tbf - brings accusations as to bandwidth and focus at the centre, and whether Infantino underestimated what taking it all in-house means in practice.

To help us find some answers, Grant Wahl, the pre-eminent US soccer journalist, returns to the UP podcast to discuss his reporting on the 2026 story, which is available via his excellent newsletter, available at GrantWahl.com

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