United States president Donald Trump on Thursday tweeted his support for the North American bid for the 2026 Fifa World Cup and issued a veiled threat to nations that might oppose it.
Morocco is the only rival to a joint bid to stage the event from the United States, Canada and Mexico, with the Fifa Congress due to choose the hosts in Moscow on June 13.
“The U.S. has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup,” Trump tweeted.
“It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid. Why should we be supporting these countries when they don’t support us (including at the United Nations)?”
The North American bid boasts large stadiums and excellent infrastructure, but is no certainty to win the June vote.
The Morocco bid is expected to receive strong backing from Fifa’s African and Middle East countries.
The U.S. has put together a STRONG bid w/ Canada & Mexico for the 2026 World Cup. It would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the U.S. bid. Why should we be supporting these countries when they don’t support us (including at the United Nations)?
— Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) April 26, 2018
France plans to back Morocco, the country’s football federation president told local media recently, while Russia, which will host the 2018 tournament from June 14-July 15, has said it will also vote for the north African nation’s bid.
The US previously hosted the World Cup in 1994.
Fifa member countries receive one vote each, no matter their size, which gives disproportionate influence to small soccer nations.