FIFA president Gianni Infantino has said the organization “is convinced” that soccer will become the most popular sport in North America.
The 2026 World Cup will be jointly hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The president was speaking at a press conference in Qatar ahead of Sunday’s final between Argentina and France, but also looked towards the next edition.
Projecting revenue of $11 billion from the 2026 World Cup, Infantino said: “We are more than bullish (about the tournament’s potential success), we are convinced that the impact of the game will be massive.
“We are bullish about the power of football (soccer). It will become the number one sport in North America.”
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Infantino also discussed the format for the upcoming tournament, which is set to feature 48 sides for the first time, saying the plan to stage three-team groups may need to be “revisited”.
As part of the move to 48 teams at the next tournament, the plan was to have 16 groups, each containing three teams.
The final round of group stage games at the 2022 World Cup — featuring simultaneous matches between the four teams — was praised for its excitement. Concurrent games would not be possible under a three-team group format.
Discussing this, Infantino said: “Here the groups of four have been absolutely incredible; we have to at least revisit, or re-discuss”.
He later confirmed that this would be on the agenda at the next FIFA council meeting.
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(Photo: Getty Images)
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