FIFA’s World Cup inspectors will have breakfast at the White House on Wednesday, a highlight of their three-day tour of potential stadiums and facilities for the 2018 and 2022 tournaments. FIFA’s executive committee votes on both hosts Dec. 2, and the U.S. is the eighth of nine stops on the tour. Europe is expected to be awarded the 2018 tournament, with England, Russia, Spain-Portugal and Belgium-Netherlands competing. The U.S. is up against Australia, Japan, Qatar and South Korea for 2022. The American bid is likely to be boosted by China’s interest in hosting in 2026— FIFA rules specify consecutive World Cups can’t be on the same continent, meaning an Asian host in 2022 would eliminate China as a 2026 site. Australia is part of soccer’s Asian confederation.
1 comment:
Until the USSF (and the USOC) can work up the stomach to offer the luminaries at FIFA (or the IOC as it were) the bags of cash required to curry favor this bid is going nowhere. Everybody knows Blatter and his cronies are on the take if you have to play their game if you want to host a tournament.
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