FIFA has delayed the bidding process for the 2026 World Cup amid allegations surrounding the international governing body and its decisions to award the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar.
FIFA secretary general Jérôme Valcke (pictured), himself embroiled in scandal, said it was “nonsense” to begin the process given FIFA’s current situation. The organization had planned to inform its member associations this week of the full schedule for the 2026 bidding process.
The vote to decide who will host the 2026 World Cup has been scheduled to take place in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, in May 2017. The US are considered contenders to host the tournament, with Canada, Mexico and Colombia also reportedly interested.
The FBI and Swiss authorities are currently investigating the bidding process for the 2018 and 2022 World Cups, awarded concurrently to Russia and Qatar in December 2010. The independent chairman of FIFA’s audit and compliance committee said last week that the countries could be stripped of the tournaments if conclusive proof emerges that they engaged in corruption in the bidding process.
