The United States' chances of landing the 2026 World Cup's hosting rights might soon increase.
FIFA president Sepp Blatter said late last week that he wants to introduce a rule that would prevent continental confederations from bidding for the next two World Cups after hosting one. If the rule were agreed upon by the FIFA Executive Committee later this month, a European nation would not be eligible to host a World Cup until 2030 because of the upcoming tournament in Russia in 2018.
CONCACAF has not hosted a World Cup since the US did so back in 1994. The US, which controversially lost out to Qatar for the rights to host the 2022 World Cup, is widely expected to launch a bid for the 2026 competition, as are neighbors Canada and Mexico.
Another tweak Blatter wants to make is raise the number of intercontinental playoffs, meaning confederations like UEFA could potentially have fewer guaranteed World Cup berths. Currently, European and African nations do not partake in playoffs matches in order to qualify for the World Cup.
A decision on who will host the 2026 World Cup will come in May 2017.
