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The United States Soccer Federation (USSF) has expressed interest in bidding to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, either alone or with Mexico. The decision to bid will be made after the bidding process is announced. The United States would be a favorite to host if a bid is placed.
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History
U.S. Soccer has hosted several global soccer tournaments, including the 1994 FIFA World Cup, the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999 and 2003, and the Summer Olympics in 1984 and 1996. CONCACAF has called for the 2026 World Cup to be held in its region.
Former U.S. player Alexi Lalas made public his support for the bid, saying, "Nobody will do it better, it will make the most money in the history of World Cups, it will be coming to a culture that loves soccer and it just makes all the sense in the world". On 18 April 2015, Brazilian icon Pele stated that the US should host the 2026 World Cup. The U.S. hosting the World Cup in 2026 would coincide with the nation's 250th anniversary of the American Declaration of Independence.
The bidding process was due to start in 2015, with the appointment of hosts previously scheduled for the FIFA Congress on 10 May 2017 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. On 10 June 2015, it was announced the bidding process has been postponed, amid corruption allegations around the previous tournaments, due to be held in 2018 (Russia), as well as 2022 (Qatar).
The USSF has been skeptical about presenting a bid. President Sunil Gulati stated the United States would only seriously consider bidding for the 2026 World Cup if the bidding process is more transparent and fair.
Venues
Stadiums must be able to accommodate a 20,000 square feet (1,900 m2) hospitality village no more than 150 metres from the stadium. They must also have a capacity of at least 40,000 for group and second round matches and 60,000 for quarter finals and beyond. There are many stadiums capable of hosting the World Cup in the United States: there are 137 stadiums in the United States that have a capacity of 40,000 or more, 80 of which have a capacity of 60,000 or more. However, not all of these stadiums are physically capable of accommodating a FIFA-standard association football pitch. Under current FIFA guidelines for venues hosting international matches, the touch lines (analogous to sidelines in American football) must be between 100 and 110 m long, and the end lines (in American football, the term is used for the lines at the rear of each end zone) must be between 64 and 75 m long. The American football field, including the end zones, is precisely 360 by 160 feet. The length translates to 109.7 m, within FIFA requirements for the touchlines, but the width of 48.8 m is more than 15 m shorter than FIFA's lower limit for end line length.
The United States does not have expansive soccer-specific stadiums. However, many American football stadiums have been successfully converted for previous international competitions, and a substantial number of newer stadiums have been designed to accommodate both football codes. The majority of stadiums in any World Cup bid will be stadiums where the National Football League (NFL) is the primary tenant.
Controversy
On January 27, 2017, U.S. President Donald Trump signed an executive order prohibiting the entry to citizens from seven Muslim-majority countries, including Libya and Sudan. Despite lifting the ban on citizens from Iraq under a recently made executive order that was place by President Trump on March 6 and despite the fact Trump cannnot be president after 2025 if re-elected due to term limits, FIFA President Gianni Infantino warned that "It's obvious when it comes to FIFA competitions as well, any team, including the supporters and officials of that team, who qualify for a World Cup need to have access to the country, otherwise there is no World Cup.".