D-day for the award of the Football World Cup in 2026. The 68th FIFA Congress, meeting this Wednesday, June 13 in Moscow, is called upon to decide between the two files in the race. On the one hand, a new candidacy made up of the United States, Canada and Mexico, called United 2026. It is announced as the favorite. On the other, a regular in the competition, Morocco, already failed four times. The outsider.
A few hours before the vote, written in full in 13th position on the congress agenda, the arguments of both camps are known to all. The Americans play on excess. Their application file lists 23 stadiums already built, with an average capacity of 55.000 seats. They promise a turnover of 14 billion dollars, for a jackpot of 11 billion to be paid into the FIFA account. They announce a record number of 5,8 million tickets sold, with an average attendance of 72.500 spectators per match.
Opposite, Morocco invokes history, arguing that Africa has only hosted the World Cup once in the 96 years of the competition's existence. Its file highlights a geographical positioning ensuring the broadcast of meetings in a part of Europe without time difference. He emphasizes the passion of the Moroccan people for football. He pleads for a World Cup on a human scale, leaving Morocco a legacy in terms of infrastructure.
But the main thing is elsewhere. In Moscow, this Wednesday, June 13, the vote promises to be above all political. For the first time in history, the ballot will be open to all FIFA member national federations. A decisive innovation as to its outcome. Another new feature: everyone’s vote will be made public.
A few hours before the vote, one question remains unanswered: the exact number of voters. Logically, the decision should be taken by 207 delegates, i.e. the 211 member countries of FIFA, minus the 4 federations in the race (United States, Canada, Mexico and Morocco). But it could be decided, to respond to a request from Morocco, to exclude from the consultation the 4 territories belonging to the United States: Guam, Puerto Rico, American Samoa and the American Virgin Islands.
Other absentees announced: Kosovo and Ghana. The first of the two countries withdrew from the vote due to the death of the president of the federation. The second no longer has a president since the withdrawal of Kwesi Nyantakyi, at the heart of a dark corruption affair.
With such a table, accurately predicting the outcome of the election is like trying to guess the future in the stars. However, a trend is emerging. According to estimates, the American file would lead the race. Less than two days before the vote, the New York Times gave him a lead of 7 votes. But the American daily recalled that more than 130 federations had not yet expressed their preference.
Morocco should be among the 54 African voters. But he will be missing several votes in a camp supposed to be entirely his. South Africa, Namibia, Liberia and Zimbabwe have taken a position in favor of the American file.
In Europe, the situation remains unclear. France, Luxembourg, Belgium, Serbia, Russia and the Netherlands reiterated their support for Morocco. Noël Le Graët, the president of the French federation (FFF), expressed this again on the eve of the vote, after the presentation to UEFA of the two competing teams. But Germany, still very influential, has sided with United 2026.
The CONMEBOL federations (South America) will vote overwhelmingly for the United States-Canada-Mexico candidacy. Same perspective within CONCACAF, the association of federations from North, Central America and the Caribbean. But votes could be quite divided in Asia and Oceania, where Australia has shown its support for the American file.
