'Only Donald Trump could prevent US hosting 2026 World Cup'

Charlie Stillitano claims the nation hosting the finals is seen as a done deal within football and only rogue tweets of the president could stop it.

 

Only reckless action by US president Donald Trump could prevent the country from hosting the 2026 World Cup, according to International Champions Cup organiser Charlie Stillitano.

The US, along with Canada and Mexico, is bidding to host the first-ever 48-team event and is facing a challenge from Morocco.



Canada and Mexico would host 10 matches each at the cross-border tournament with the US hosting the remaining 60 including every game from the quarter-final stage onwards.

A decision is expected at next June’s 68th FIFA Congress with the US bid overwhelmingly backed to triumph.
“Every day I wake up and I see our president has made a new tweet,” Stillitano told delegates at the Soccerex Global Convention in Manchester.

“The only thing that could possibly derail it is some crazy action on the part of our government but I can't even imagine that.

“It's ours to lose. I can't imagine we don't have the World Cup. I saw Sunil Gulati - our president - was almost gleeful in talking about how this was going to be by far the most profitable World Cup.


“All the stadia are done already, all the highways are done, the train stations are done. The hotels are there in the cities.

“I talked to contacts within FIFA, UEFA, CONCACAF and CONMEBOL and I think it's almost a given that it's going to be in the US. I'd be shocked if they lost.”

 The US national team are currently facing a fight to qualify for the 2018 World Cup, facing a must-win match on Tuesday against Honduras.
Source: Peter Staunton of Goal.com

Chief Correspondent