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[Football] 2026 FIFA World Cup



Chicken Run

Member Since Jul 2003
NSC Patreon
Jul 17, 2003
18,275
Valley of Hangleton
A week tomorrow FIFA will announce the host’s either North America (Canada USA Mexico Joint) or Morocco.

Kind of hope Morocco gets the gig but let’s be honest, they have no chance.....
 


Beanstalk

Well-known member
Apr 5, 2017
2,454
London
Think it would be great if Morocco got it. 93,000 seater stadium in Casablanca and a relatively small country travel wise. (I think you should be able to travel easily between venues.)
However, if the report that there aren't enough hotels to cope with the demand of people, then you have to say, no chance. And with the US infrastructure, there is really no choice to be made.
 


MattBackHome

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
11,689
A week tomorrow FIFA will announce the host’s either North America (Canada USA Mexico Joint) or Morocco.

Kind of hope Morocco gets the gig but let’s be honest, they have no chance.....

Interesting late surge from Morocco, and some solid support from the rest of Africa, but yeah, it's going to be a USA isn't it (plus a game apiece in Tijuana and Toronto)
 


maltaseagull

Well-known member
Feb 25, 2009
12,938
Zabbar- Malta
Interesting late surge from Morocco, and some solid support from the rest of Africa, but yeah, it's going to be a USA isn't it (plus a game apiece in Tijuana and Toronto)
It's remarkable how many times Morocco has been close in previous years.
 


strings

Moving further North...
Feb 19, 2006
9,965
Barnsley
I wonder whether the FIFA investigation in the US will swing some votes in favour of Morocco. Trump also hasn't helped things by tweeting something to the effect that the US may withdraw support from countries that vote against the US bid.

On paper, this should be no contest. It will be interesting to see how things pan out. Part of me hopes Morocco get it - the US hosted as recently as 94. I would be more keener had the 'North America' bid left out the US.
 




Gritt23

New member
Jul 7, 2003
14,902
Meopham, Kent.
Where is the FBI investigation into FIFA at the moment?
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,673
Location Location
I would not be at all surprised to see it awarded to Morocco, being as unlike the North Americas bid, Morocco would need massive, MASSIVE investment to get the infrastructure and stadiums in place.

Russia has 12 stadiums for a 32-team tournament. How many venues will be needed for a 48-team tournament ? At least 16 I'd have thought, and all with a minimum capacity of 40,000.

It would be an absurdly expensive project, leaving Morocco saddled with millions of dollars of debt, and a herd of white elephants dotted all over the country that'll never be used again, at least not anywhere near to capacity.

It makes no sense, when you have other countries that could lay it on tomorrow. So I make that a nailed on tournament for Morocco. There's $$$ to be made, and FIFA's snout will be shoved deep in the trough.
 


FatSuperman

Well-known member
Feb 25, 2016
2,829
I think the answer to the question would be found in working out how much of a bung the Giant Infant would get for each bid. I'm still gutted that the Sex Whale didn't win the presidency
 




Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,521
I would not be at all surprised to see it awarded to Morocco, being as unlike the North Americas bid, Morocco would need massive, MASSIVE investment to get the infrastructure and stadiums in place.

Russia has 12 stadiums for a 32-team tournament. How many venues will be needed for a 48-team tournament ? At least 16 I'd have thought, and all with a minimum capacity of 40,000.

It would be an absurdly expensive project, leaving Morocco saddled with millions of dollars of debt, and a herd of white elephants dotted all over the country that'll never be used again, at least not anywhere near to capacity.

It makes no sense, when you have other countries that could lay it on tomorrow. So I make that a nailed on tournament for Morocco. There's $$$ to be made, and FIFA's snout will be shoved deep in the trough.

Morocco hosted the most recent African Nation's Cup at short notice after Kenya were binned. The country currently has 8 football stadiums with a capacity of 30,000, 6 of those are 45,000 plus three of 45K+ are under construction and there's a proposed to build a 90K stadium in Casablanca.

My mate went to Agadir last year and watched Morocco play the Dutch, he said the stadium was excellent.

I think it would be a brilliant World Cup venue, but I acknowledge there might be one or two security issues.
 


Easy 10

Brain dead MUG SHEEP
Jul 5, 2003
61,673
Location Location
Morocco hosted the most recent African Nation's Cup at short notice after Kenya were binned. The country currently has 8 football stadiums with a capacity of 30,000, 6 of those are 45,000 plus three of 45K+ are under construction and there's a proposed to build a 90K stadium in Casablanca.

My mate went to Agadir last year and watched Morocco play the Dutch, he said the stadium was excellent.

I think it would be a brilliant World Cup venue, but I acknowledge there might be one or two security issues.

I'm not saying they couldn't lay on an excellent World Cup, but a 48 team tournament would mean they'd currently need to at least double the number of stadiums they have that would be capable of staging the games. The expense would be vast, and they'd have very little use after the tournament.

The World Cup nearly always seems to be awarded to countries where major construction projects are required all over the place in order to lay it on. Of the 12 venues in Russia, 6 are news builds that will have opened this year, with 3 more completed since 2014 and a couple more which have had major renovations. Qatar are basically starting from scratch (and have the dead construction workers to prove it), and Morocco is another one now in the mix.

It almost seems to be a requirement. I don't think FIFA are very interested in taking tournaments to countries with the existing infrastructure in place. They'll dress it up as "taking the game to new corners of the globe" or somesuch, but what gets left behind after a month of football is a load of rotting structures that are invariably still being paid for.
 


Eeyore

Lord Donkey of Queen's Park
NSC Patreon
Apr 5, 2014
23,379
Joint bids are obviously the way forward. Maybe a full U.K bid one day. Probably won't be here to see that.
 




Pavilionaire

Well-known member
Jul 7, 2003
30,521
I'm not saying they couldn't lay on an excellent World Cup, but a 48 team tournament would mean they'd currently need to at least double the number of stadiums they have that would be capable of staging the games. The expense would be vast, and they'd have very little use after the tournament.

The World Cup nearly always seems to be awarded to countries where major construction projects are required all over the place in order to lay it on. Of the 12 venues in Russia, 6 are news builds that will have opened this year, with 3 more completed since 2014 and a couple more which have had major renovations. Qatar are basically starting from scratch (and have the dead construction workers to prove it), and Morocco is another one now in the mix.

It almost seems to be a requirement. I don't think FIFA are very interested in taking tournaments to countries with the existing infrastructure in place. They'll dress it up as "taking the game to new corners of the globe" or somesuch, but what gets left behind after a month of football is a load of rotting structures that are invariably still being paid for.

I agree with you that holding a 48-team tournament will sound the death knell for all but the richest, most developed nations who might harbour hopes of hosting the World Cup.

Similarly, FIFA don't do much in terms of promoting the domestic leagues of the host countries. I've no doubt Morocco would have adequate, quality stadia come 2026, but what is the point of having a dozen stadia of 45K+ when the domestic league top flight averages 9,285 spectators per match.

They wasted a chance to raise the profile of football in South Africa after 2010 while God knows what the stadia in Qatar will be used for after 2022.
 




A1X

Well-known member
NSC Patreon
Sep 1, 2017
17,517
Deepest, darkest Sussex
It would have gone to the USA in 2022 were it not for Mr Platini and his assorted entourage.

Unless this is just a very elaborate FBI sting operation to get certain FIFA executives onto US soil?
 






HastingsSeagull

Well-known member
Jan 13, 2010
9,236
BGC Manila
Kind of feel it would make a bigger effect to have back in USA (and rest of North America) but yes Morocco and North Africa as a whole would be a great choice too.
 





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