FIFA President Gianni Infantino said the organization is “convinced” football 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 addressed a press conference in Qatar ahead of Sunday’s final between Argentina and France, but also looked ahead to the next edition.
Forecasting $11 billion in revenue from the 2026 World Cup, Infantino said, “We’re more than optimistic (about the potential success of the tournament), we’re confident that the impact of the game will be massive.
“We are optimistic about the power of football. 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 teams for the first time, and said the plan to host three-team groups may need “overhauling”.
As part of the move to 48 teams at the next tournament, 16 groups of three teams were planned.
The final round of group stage matches at the 2022 World Cup – featuring simultaneous matches between the four teams – was praised for its excitement. Simultaneous games would not be possible in a three-team group format.
Infantino commented: “Here the groups of four were absolutely incredible; we must at least come back to it again or discuss it again”.
He later confirmed that this would be on the agenda of the next FIFA Council meeting.
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(Photo: Getty Images)
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