FIFA president Gianni Infantino spoke with FOX Sports’ Alexi Lalas for his first English-language interview since being elected FIFA president in February, with FS1 airing their sit-down on Wednesday evening.
The pair spoke in-depth on a variety of topics, including the difference in World Cup prize money between men and women, the corruption scandal that still dogs the sport’s governing body, Infantino's plans for reform, the inclusion of his name in the “Panama Papers,” and the recently-released report from Amnesty International regarding the abuse of workers building stadiums in Qatar for the 2022 World Cup.
Infantino also outlined a timeline for naming the host of the 2026 World Cup, telling Lalas that he’d like to do so by 2020.
Several countries are planning on submitting bids for the tournament, with Mexico throwing their hat in the ring earlier this week and Canada announcing in December that they plan on bidding. The US has also been rumored as a potential candidate to stage the tournament, which hasn’t been hosted by a CONCACAF country since it was held in the US in 1994.
Infantino said that FIFA would discuss the timeline more next month.
“Well we will discuss it at the next FIFA council meeting in Mexico in May,” he said. “The thinking now is that we will start with the process now with the consultation process with a decision probably to be taken in 2020, six years before the World Cup.”
A full rundown of Lalas’ interview with Infantino can be found on FoxSports.com.
