The North American campaign to host the 2026 World Cup will submit its formal bid Friday without two high-profile cities, Chicago and Vancouver, which withdrew because of financial concerns.
The effort by the United States, Canada and Mexico is locked in a tight race with Morocco ahead of FIFA’s vote June 13 in Moscow.
The number of qualified venues speaks to the bid’s strengths. But the absence of Chicago — the third-largest U.S. market and home to the U.S. Soccer Federation — and Vancouver — Canada’s Pacific jewel and site of the 2015 Women’s World Cup final — stood out when the list of potential cities was trimmed to 23 from 32 on Thursday.