Morocco announces intention to become the 2nd African country to host the World Cup

The Moroccan football federation has announced its bid to host the 2026 World Cup, positioning itself as the sole challenger to the joint submission from Canada, Mexico and the United States.

Under FIFA’s rotational hosting policy, the 2026 World Cup cannot be in either Europe or Asia, leaving Africa, Oceania and North or South America as possible destinations.

Despite reported interest from Chile earlier in the year, a joint Canada-Mexico-USA bid was formally announced in April.

Shortly before Friday’s deadline for submissions, however, Moroccan football’s governing body released a brief statement to deny an unopposed CONCACAF bid.

Le Maroc dépose officiellement sa candidature pour organiser la Coupe du Monde 2026 https://t.co/7CgPnHQrSi #FRMF #Maroc #المغرب https://t.co/y2fpYdFBOS

— FRMF (@FRMFOFFICIEL) August 11, 2017

The 2026 tournament will also see the introduction of a 48-team format, after FIFA’s confirmation of the new structure in January.

Africa has only hosted the World Cup once, in South Africa in 2010, but this will be Morocco’s fifth bid.

The host will be announced in May 2020.