In the days after his election as President of the United States Soccer Federation, Carlos Cordeiro has a daunting task ahead of him. He has been put in charge of the task of bringing United States soccer to new heights in the wake of the most crushing defeat in United States men’s soccer history. Cordeiro has keep U.S. soccer in the forefront even though, the men’s team will not be participating in the 2018 world cup. Cordeiro has to find away for United States soccer to get some sort of victory that won’t be on the pitch. His best and maybe only chance to redeem the team’s loss back in October will be to win the bid for the 2026 World Cup to be hosted in North America. Winning the bid for the 2026 world cup will bring excitement back to U.S. men’s soccer, even though the United States will not be participating in the world cup. At a time where U.S. men’s soccer could get lost in everyone’s mind, winning the bid for the 2026 World Cup could be the only way to salvage some hope for the United States men’s team. With so many other sports gaining so much attention, something needs to change for soccer to become something which people in the United States are passionate about. Soccer is behind the four major sports in terms of its popularity and by not making the world cup this year its chances of moving up in the rankings are only getting slimmer. American exceptionalism is one of the core values this country was founded on and right now the United States men’s soccer is not exhibiting exceptionalism. The only way for the United States men’s team to be exceptional would be to win the 2026 bid for the world cup. Cordeiro has been placed with an unfair task as the entire fate of men’s soccer in this country rests on his shoulder.
Besides for saving United States soccer, hosting the world cup could push soccer to new heights in this country. According to Cordeiro, hosting the world cup would re-energize soccer in way it has never been before. The only thing I can imagine being better would be, the United States men’s team winning a world cup. Currently, however, that does not seem possible with the lack of talent compared to other top nations. The United States has a larger population than most countries, however, the top athletes are not interesting in playing soccer. Soccer isn’t glamorized the way basketball, football, or even baseball is in America. By hosting the world cup and having games on national television, million of children, both boys and girls, will see soccer as something they might want to play and pursue. The more youth we can get to play, the larger the talent pool will be and the chance for success will be higher. With its current talent, the United States has no chance of competing with top nations, and hosting the world cup is the only way the U.S. might have a chance of gaining young talent needed to compete at the highest level. Hosting the world cup will also help with the economy. According to a recent article from ussoccer, hosting the 2026 world cup could generate more than $5 billion in economic activity. Hosting the world cup would also support over 40,000 jobs and an increase of $1 billion in worker earnings. According to Boston Consulting Group, hosting the world cup could bring $3-$4 billion of net benefit to North America. Since America already has a strong infrastructure the cost to hosting the world cup would be a fraction of what it costs other countries. America has the roads, public transportation, and stadiums necessary to host a world cup today. The money that will be put into infrastructure will only benefit society and make the connection between the United States, Canada and Mexico stronger.
Besides for being vital to U.S. Soccer and bringing economic benefit, hosting the world cup between 3 countries will only enhance the effects. Hosting the world cup will bring Canada, Mexico, and the United States closer. It will also show that expanding soccer is a global thing. All 3 countries would benefit tremendously both economically, and socially from hosting a join world cup. Hosting the 2026 is something the United States should want to do because of all of its benefits. However, this is something United States men’s soccer needs if it as any change of staying relevant. If the United States loses this bid, men’s soccer will be all but forgotten for at least the next 4 years. Cordeiro has a tough job ahead of him, but if the United States loses the bid, he might as well not even try fixing anything else. Winning the bid for the 2026 world cup is nothing short of a necessity for United States soccer.
CarlisleSoccer, Jeff. “New USSF president Carlos Cordeiro must bring about positive change.” ESPN, ESPN Internet Ventures, 11 Feb. 2018, www.espn.com/soccer/club/united-states/660/blog/post/3379123/president-carlos-cordeiro-must-bring-positive-change-to-united-states-soccer.
USSoccer. “Hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ Could Create More Than $5 Billion in Economic Activity for North America.” U.S. Soccer, USSoccer, 8 Feb. 2018, www.ussoccer.com/stories/2018/02/08/18/37/20180208-news-united-bid-2026-world-cup-could-create-5-billion-in-economic-activity-north-america.
I actually think the US has a pretty good shot at getting the 2026 bid. If you think about it, there’s been a lot of drama surrounding World Cup host nations. Economic problems and corruption plague the host nations for the 2014, 2018, and 2022 World Cups. It might be nice for FIFA to look for a safe bet country / countries and I think North America would provide that. Additionally, the idea of a three country World Cup sounds very cool. I’m not sure if it would work well logistically, but I still think it’s an idea worth getting behind. This would do so much for US soccer. I think it’d set us up pretty well to qualify (which is not a given these days.) I even think a bid like this could motivate our team to really make a push to play well in the 2022 World Cup.
In regards to how well it would work logistically, there are many examples of tournaments (not the World Cup) that have been played in multiple countries. For example, the 2012 Euros were hosted by both Poland and Ukraine and given their proximity it seemed to work pretty well; furthermore, the 2020 Euros will also be played in 12 different countries. While I do think this may cause problems for certain teams who have to travel more than others, it has been done before and I think it can be done again.