Here’s an interesting development. The Wall Street Journal reports that the United States, Canada, and Mexico are preparing a unique joint bid to host the soccer World Cup:
Leaders of the soccer federations of the U.S, Mexico and Canada unveiled their plan to bid jointly for the 2026 World Cup Monday.
Under an agreement reached by the three organizations, the U.S. would play host to 60 of the 80 matches, including all quarterfinal, semifinal and final matches. If the bid is successful it would mark the first time three countries played host to the event.
Sunil Gulati, the president of the U.S. Soccer Federation, said bidding with Canada and Mexico made the bid stronger than if the U.S. tried to bid alone, in part because of the variety of modern stadiums available and because of the statement it makes about the divisiveness in the world today. While acknowledging that sports cannot solve the world’s problems, “From a social perspective, this is a positive,†Gulati said.
The ironies in this abound. While the three North American countries have much in common, their differences are great as well. What they seem to have in common is a common love of being the center of attention.
