FIFA to choose between North America or Morocco for 2026 World Cup

FIFA members will decide on Wednesday whether the 2026 World Cup should be played in North America or return to Africa for just the second time, in Morocco.

The choice is clear -- between a slick bid based on gleaming stadiums in the United States, Mexico and Canada or an ambitious attempt from Morocco based on as-yet largely unbuilt facilities.

On the eve of the 2018 World Cup in Russia, 207 FIFA member nations will cast their vote in a congress of world football's governing body.

Morocco's bid for 2026 was only cleared to advance to the runoff vote earlier this month, despite a FIFA evaluation report which classified the north African nation's stadia, accommodation and transport as "high risk." The report left the US-Canada-Mexico bid as the clear front-runner after giving it a rating of four out of a possible five.

Morocco received only 2.7 out of five, but advanced despite red flags being raised over several critical components of the bid.

A FIFA summary of the bid task force's findings warned that "the amount of new infrastructure required for the Morocco 2026 bid to become reality cannot be overstated." - Referendum on Trump? -
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Critics of the Morocco bid also point to the fact that the 2026 World Cup will be the first to be expanded to 48 teams, posing a severe test for the hosts. -
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Cordeiro said: "Our vision is a very simple one. We offer FIFA an unprecedented united opportunity to stage the 2026 World Cup. We believe strongly that this decision will be made on its merits." FIFA President Gianni Infantino is believed to strongly support the North