Failed again. For the fifth time, Morocco must dismiss its dreams of welcoming the football world. On Wednesday June 13, in Moscow, the 68th FIFA Congress preferred an alliance of the United States, Canada and Mexico for the organization of the Football World Cup in 2026. The Moroccan project received 65 votes, or 33%. votes cast. Opposite, the American bloc gathered 134 (65%). A clear victory. An overwhelming success.
The delegates of the national federations, called for the first time in history to choose a host country for the World Cup, listened to the Moroccans praise the strengths of their project. But Morocco's passion for football, its geographical location in the same time zone as part of Europe, and its World Cup on a human scale, did not carry much weight in the face of American arguments. United 2026 has promised the most profitable World Cup in history, with projected revenue of $11 billion for FIFA. Unstoppable.
In Moscow, Wednesday June 13, the FIFA vote was not only the most universal since the creation of the World Cup. He was also the most transparent. The international organization announced its decision to publish the details of the votes. She kept her word. The result sometimes turns out to be very surprising.
First discovery: Morocco is far from having had its fill of African voices. The kingdom knew it would be missing four, with South Africa, Namibia, Liberia and Zimbabwe having announced their intention to get behind the American project. But seven other African federations turned their backs on it at the time of the vote: Cape Verde, Benin, Sierra Leone, Botswana, Guinea, Lesotho and Mozambique. At the end of the vote, the president of the Guinean federation cited a “technical error”, claiming not to have given his vote to the American file.
In Europe, Morocco was able to count until the end on the announced support of France, the Netherlands, Serbia, Italy, Belgium and Luxembourg. But Russia, announced in the Moroccan camp, changed its tune and voted for United 2026. Strange.
France gave its vote to Morocco, as expected. But New Caledonia and Tahiti, two French territories with a football federation recognized by FIFA, did not follow the voting instructions and chose the American project.
The day after the historic summit between Donald Trump and Kim Jong-un in Singapore, North Korea voted for Morocco. China did the same, as did Taiwan.
Brazil made headlines at the Moscow conference center by voting for Morocco. The South American giant had however been identified, like all its neighbors on the South American continent, as unfailing support of the United 2026 file.
Qatar has sided with Morocco, unlike Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates.
Three countries abstained: Cuba, Slovenia and Spain. As a reminder, the president of UEFA, Aleksander Ceferin, is Slovenian.
Only one country chose, for electronic voting, the option proposing not to vote for either of the two issues in contention: Iran.
