The United States will not participate in the 2018 World Cup, but as part of a unified bid with Mexico and Canada, the country is likely to host the majority of the 2026 World Cup. And as the bidding process ramps up and FIFA prepares to announce the winner next June in Moscow, it remains unclear how many U.S. cities would stage matches.
Thirty-two metro areas in the three North American countries, including 25 in the United States, remain in contention, with organizers planning to trim that figure to between 20 and 25 before submitting the formal bid to FIFA ahead of the March 16 deadline.