{"id":15677,"date":"2018-05-20T09:16:26","date_gmt":"2018-05-20T13:16:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/?p=15677"},"modified":"2018-05-20T09:16:26","modified_gmt":"2018-05-20T13:16:26","slug":"antigua-government-declares-support-for-morocco-to-host-2026-world-cup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/antiguanewsroom.com\/antigua-government-declares-support-for-morocco-to-host-2026-world-cup\/","title":{"rendered":"Antigua government declares support for Morocco to host 2026 World Cup"},"content":{"rendered":"
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(ESPN)<\/p>

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With the vote to secure the hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup taking place on June 13 at the FIFA Congress in Moscow, the United Bid comprised of Canada, Mexico and the U.S. is leaving nothing to chance.<\/p>\n

The various bid directors and executives have been crisscrossing the globe in the hope of convincing the various member associations that the United Bid is best. For Carlos Cordeiro, the United Bid Committee Board of Directors co-chair, the approach reminds him of his successful run for the presidency of the U.S. Soccer Federation back in February.<\/p>

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“You’ve got to be in front of every voter,” he told ESPN FC via telephone. “There’s no substitute for in-person, one-on-one meetings, so that’s the strategy. I believe that will produce the result we’re looking for.”<\/p>

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Based on the technical merits, the bid — with its tournament-ready stadiums and projections of $11 billion in profits — would seem to be ahead of Morocco, which will need to invest $16 billion in its infrastructure. But geopolitics have a way of shoehorning their way into a vote such as this one. As a result, the race has become complicated and looks to be too close to call.<\/p>\n

There is also the possibility that enough countries will abstain from voting to prevent either bid from reaching the 104-vote threshold needed to win the hosting rights. At that point, the whole bidding process would be reopened with none of the countries currently bidding allowed to compete.<\/p>

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That hasn’t stopped the United Bid from projecting a confident veneer as the race heads into the final weeks.<\/p>\n

“We’re confident because we believe in what we’re delivering, and as we travel across the globe, we’re telling our story, which we feel is very compelling for 2026,” United Bid director and Canada Soccer Association general secretary Peter Montopoli said.<\/p>

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With Morocco likely to draw heavy support from its home continent of Africa, the United Bid has been focusing its efforts primarily on securing its home base in the Americas, while then attempting to extend its reach to Asia and Europe. Although the 10 CONMEBOL countries, as well as the six eligible voters in Central America, have publicly given their support to the Bid, making sure the Caribbean is secure has been a bigger challenge.<\/p>

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