FIFA World Cup 2026 :Canada/Mexico/United States: Discussion Thread

[Sithara007]

The thing is that the US has a lot of very popular sports, as you mentioned, like the NBA, NHL, etc.

But in South America and Europe, basically there is no rival to football. Any other sport is a low second.

In those continents, when there's an important football match, the whole country stops. Everyone is either at the stadium, or watching it on TV at home or at a pub.

And when their home country scores, you can hear the roar from everywhere.

That experience is not seen anywhere else in the world other than South America and Europe.

On this maybe I can agree with you. Football is by far the most popular sport in CONMEBOL region, and that too by a long distance. However, in the US they give importance to a variety of different sports. And this is one of the reason why they always top the Olympics medal table. But then, US is a country of immigrants. There are a lot of migrants from countries such as Argentina and Nigeria, where football is very popular. And this migration rate is going up with every passing year. So we can be confident that fanbase in the US will be larger in the future.

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[Leviathan.007]

The thing is that the US has a lot of very popular sports, as you mentioned, like the NBA, NHL, etc.

But in South America and Europe, basically there is no rival to football. Any other sport is a low second.

In those continents, when there's an important football match, the whole country stops. Everyone is either at the stadium, or watching it on TV at home or at a pub.

And when their home country scores, you can hear the roar from everywhere.

That experience is not seen anywhere else in the world other than South America and Europe.

On this maybe I can agree with you. Football is by far the most popular sport in CONMEBOL region, and that too by a long distance. However, in the US they give importance to a variety of different sports. And this is one of the reason why they always top the Olympics medal table. But then, US is a country of immigrants. There are a lot of migrants from countries such as Argentina and Nigeria, where football is very popular. And this migration rate is going up with every passing year. So we can be confident that fanbase in the US will be larger in the future.

Football is one of the most favorite sports in the world but in some countries like CONMEBOL as you said there is more popularity for football than other sports that's why if you make CONMEBOL host a football game we know there is higher interest for people to watch this game while in America they give more priority to other sports but still since there are many people migrate America they can have interest on football.
Generally, I don't think if we see any problems regarding this in America.

[Strongkored]

Certainly now scouts are much more attentive to good players, not only from Brazil but from all over Latin America, because the Arab Emirates are "stealing" European players with offers they can't refuse and so it is necessary to try to fill the gap occupied by these players.

Not only in America, but all over the world we have excellent potential players, the big clubs just need to have a less discriminatory vision and know how to see these opportunities, invest in new players.

I believe that this departure of European players to the United Arab Emirates will not last long, they signed some relevant players to be able to attract the attention of the world and raise the greed of other players in order to create an "organic flow" of new signings without the need to pay astronomical amounts for it.
Meanwhile, still unknown players may get their chance to break into Europe.... I hope this is a good thing.

It could stop if those players did not accept those generous offers, however I am not so sure that those owners are going to stop buying players at such high prices, I mean they have literally bought whole teams before and they have raised the price of signing up players all over the world, they are literally playing with free money and they are no afraid to spend it on what they want, so I doubt this tendency of European players being tempted to play on those leagues is going to stop soon.

Maybe something like this will last for a few seasons but it will slowly start to decrease until finally we only see a few players who are interested, especially those who are still quite productive unless they are players who are old enough, because they can play in a league with softer competition with a salary which is also quite large would be a better choice.
There are several players who play in the Saudi Pro League, they can still be said to be young and if they come from a country where there are not many choices of players to become the country's national team, it might not be an obstacle to keep playing for their country, but countries like Spain, Brazil, Portugal, I doubt their country's national team coaches will consider calling up players who play in the SPL unless there is no other option, and are these players still have a chance to play in the European leagues except in smaller leagues like in Turkey, Greece or Russia too.

[wiss19]

On this maybe I can agree with you. Football is by far the most popular sport in CONMEBOL region, and that too by a long distance. However, in the US they give importance to a variety of different sports. And this is one of the reason why they always top the Olympics medal table. But then, US is a country of immigrants. There are a lot of migrants from countries such as Argentina and Nigeria, where football is very popular. And this migration rate is going up with every passing year. So we can be confident that fanbase in the US will be larger in the future.

If we are able to check few things surely this will give us better updates as their policies are giving them edge too many immigrants are here, and they are having good facilities and other things which are helpful for having better training and financial packages, so this all is in favor of the USA, and they are ruling the sports world unanimously for decades few countries are trying to catch this all but its never been easy for them as things are never been on level.

Even their main sports are different like NFL, MLB and NHL but still they are best in quality and financial package which is not comparable in near future we can expect good changes but still no challenge for the USA in many sports with now they are getting better in soccer as well hopefully this world cup will bring few more improvements.

[sana54210]

Football is one of the most favorite sports in the world but in some countries like CONMEBOL as you said there is more popularity for football than other sports that's why if you make CONMEBOL host a football game we know there is higher interest for people to watch this game while in America they give more priority to other sports but still since there are many people migrate America they can have interest on football.
Generally, I don't think if we see any problems regarding this in America.

I think Brazil did it didn't they? In 2014 it was Brazils turn to do it and they were actually doing a good job of it in football sense. To be fair there was a bit of crime rate issue, and maybe some stuff happened but nothing that made the world cup a big disappointment like Qatar at least, that was a whole another reason why that was a disappointment. This one should be the best one in a long while, I think it will definitely be fun enough.

I still have the belief that whoever wins the world cup should be the host, and yes maybe that will result with a nation doing it back to back, if we do not want that then make it the finalist hosting on the second term. This will prevent many nations not being able to do it, and only big football nations do it, but isn't that the point? A football culture big nation to host it would be much better.

[LUCKMCFLY]

Football is one of the most favorite sports in the world but in some countries like CONMEBOL as you said there is more popularity for football than other sports that's why if you make CONMEBOL host a football game we know there is higher interest for people to watch this game while in America they give more priority to other sports but still since there are many people migrate America they can have interest on football.
Generally, I don't think if we see any problems regarding this in America.

I think Brazil did it didn't they? In 2014 it was Brazils turn to do it and they were actually doing a good job of it in football sense. To be fair there was a bit of crime rate issue, and maybe some stuff happened but nothing that made the world cup a big disappointment like Qatar at least, that was a whole another reason why that was a disappointment. This one should be the best one in a long while, I think it will definitely be fun enough.

I still have the belief that whoever wins the world cup should be the host, and yes maybe that will result with a nation doing it back to back, if we do not want that then make it the finalist hosting on the second term. This will prevent many nations not being able to do it, and only big football nations do it, but isn't that the point? A football culture big nation to host it would be much better.

Well, personally I think that things when it comes to who is going to do the World Cup is something that is no longer measured who is going to do the World Cup, the one who has the greatest taste for soccer, is the one who has the most money and different privileges in FIFA Now things are like that, but of course if we compare in the World Cup in Brazil, obviously many things were seen, including some insecurity, but unlike many countries in these countries of South America one knows how to develop, knows how to act and knows how to defend oneself and especially when to defend oneself, but that is something that only here we do not know how to handle, that is why any South American who goes to the USA, Europe, does not allow himself to be easily intimidated by criminals from there, because they are tainted by the experience of those who What is a school, and even though it is not the idea of that, for future World Cups things must be done differently, there must be much more security, in the World Cup in Brazil there was a stadium that I liked very much, the Arena de Manaus, especially because it is incredibly hot there , I Remember that when Portugal played, they had a 30-minute break so that the players could Hydrate , due to the immense heat, something that Brazilians when they play at that temperature are like fish in water because they don't care. affected in the least.

Now in Qatar things have changed, because there were stadiums where they had their own heating and regulated the internal environment within the field, those were undoubtedly improvements, in terms of safety , well, faultless , what many people did not like is that they could not do escalating them They did not allow certain Liberties so that they would cause lack of control in their country, actually that was what I liked about that World Cup , which was highly criticized and I think it was for that reason, but Qatar wanted to demonstrate the Majesty of their Country , more nothing and I think that they did , Because as I had said in Previous posts of mine , the Saudis were never interested in the ROI of their investment , only that their investment was seen as one of the best in the World.

[Sithara007]

If we are able to check few things surely this will give us better updates as their policies are giving them edge too many immigrants are here, and they are having good facilities and other things which are helpful for having better training and financial packages, so this all is in favor of the USA, and they are ruling the sports world unanimously for decades few countries are trying to catch this all but its never been easy for them as things are never been on level.

Even their main sports are different like NFL, MLB and NHL but still they are best in quality and financial package which is not comparable in near future we can expect good changes but still no challenge for the USA in many sports with now they are getting better in soccer as well hopefully this world cup will bring few more improvements.

Leagues such as the NFL and NBA maybe wildly popular in the US, but at the same time their universities give a lot of importance to athletics and other Olympic sports disciplines. And that is the reason why they perform so well during the Olympic Games. And also, the US attracts a lot of talented athletes. A lot of them migrate to that country and attain the citizenship. In case of football, despite all this they are still unable to perform at the top level. Many of their national team players are of migrant origin, but in the world cups, they have performed poorly.

[nullama]

~snip~
Leagues such as the NFL and NBA maybe wildly popular in the US, but at the same time their universities give a lot of importance to athletics and other Olympic sports disciplines. And that is the reason why they perform so well during the Olympic Games. And also, the US attracts a lot of talented athletes. A lot of them migrate to that country and attain the citizenship. In case of football, despite all this they are still unable to perform at the top level. Many of their national team players are of migrant origin, but in the world cups, they have performed poorly.

Yeah, at the end of the day it's all about the money.

These leagues make a lot of money by simply having these young players, and in return they basically give them a scholarship.

Seems like a really great deal for the companies running those leagues. It's also a good opportunity for the young players that would have no chance to pay for the expensive university.

I guess that wouldn't work in countries were universities are free or reasonably priced.

[marcous]

Football is one of the most favorite sports in the world but in some countries like CONMEBOL as you said there is more popularity for football than other sports that's why if you make CONMEBOL host a football game we know there is higher interest for people to watch this game while in America they give more priority to other sports but still since there are many people migrate America they can have interest on football.
Generally, I don't think if we see any problems regarding this in America.

I think Brazil did it didn't they? In 2014 it was Brazils turn to do it and they were actually doing a good job of it in football sense. To be fair there was a bit of crime rate issue, and maybe some stuff happened but nothing that made the world cup a big disappointment like Qatar at least, that was a whole another reason why that was a disappointment. This one should be the best one in a long while, I think it will definitely be fun enough.

I still have the belief that whoever wins the world cup should be the host, and yes maybe that will result with a nation doing it back to back, if we do not want that then make it the finalist hosting on the second term. This will prevent many nations not being able to do it, and only big football nations do it, but isn't that the point? A football culture big nation to host it would be much better.

I think Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and several other countries on the American continent make soccer the favorite there. Even though in America itself football is inferior to sports such as the NBA, it is hoped that the holding of the 2026 World Cup this time will be a good opportunity to increase and attract audience interest in football in the region.

For the appointment of the World Cup host, FIFA has its own regulations in screening participants. Of course all countries have the right to volunteer to host, even the defending champions. However, FIFA prioritizes areas of the country that have minimal interest, this is done as a means of promotion and increasing interest in football itself.

[Sithara007]

Yeah, at the end of the day it's all about the money.

These leagues make a lot of money by simply having these young players, and in return they basically give them a scholarship.

Seems like a really great deal for the companies running those leagues. It's also a good opportunity for the young players that would have no chance to pay for the expensive university.

I guess that wouldn't work in countries were universities are free or reasonably priced.

So you are saying that the shitty college system in the United States is actually helping it to produce great athletes? I thought about it, and I would agree to it partially. I know that the tuition fee and other expenses in college system is extremely high for the American students, and that is one of the reasons why Bernie Sanders became popular suddenly when he talked about writing off student loans. And education is either free or affordable in most of the European countries (and also in non-European countries such as China). But I do believe that this scholarship system for bright athletes exist in other countries as well.

[wheelz1200]

Yeah, at the end of the day it's all about the money.

These leagues make a lot of money by simply having these young players, and in return they basically give them a scholarship.

Seems like a really great deal for the companies running those leagues. It's also a good opportunity for the young players that would have no chance to pay for the expensive university.

I guess that wouldn't work in countries were universities are free or reasonably priced.

So you are saying that the shitty college system in the United States is actually helping it to produce great athletes? I thought about it, and I would agree to it partially. I know that the tuition fee and other expenses in college system is extremely high for the American students, and that is one of the reasons why Bernie Sanders became popular suddenly when he talked about writing off student loans. And education is either free or affordable in most of the European countries (and also in non-European countries such as China). But I do believe that this scholarship system for bright athletes exist in other countries as well.

I don't think so.  These kids basically have to go through college to get to theor end goal of playing in the professional leagues.  Most major sports draft out of college because that's the route that has always been.  Basketball is kind of moving away from that, but it's not a 2 way street.  These colleges have just been making tons of money off these kids and the kids do it because it's "part of the process".

[Japinat]

Yeah, at the end of the day it's all about the money.

These leagues make a lot of money by simply having these young players, and in return they basically give them a scholarship.

Seems like a really great deal for the companies running those leagues. It's also a good opportunity for the young players that would have no chance to pay for the expensive university.

I guess that wouldn't work in countries were universities are free or reasonably priced.

So you are saying that the shitty college system in the United States is actually helping it to produce great athletes? I thought about it, and I would agree to it partially. I know that the tuition fee and other expenses in college system is extremely high for the American students, and that is one of the reasons why Bernie Sanders became popular suddenly when he talked about writing off student loans. And education is either free or affordable in most of the European countries (and also in non-European countries such as China). But I do believe that this scholarship system for bright athletes exist in other countries as well.

I don't think so.  These kids basically have to go through college to get to theor end goal of playing in the professional leagues.  Most major sports draft out of college because that's the route that has always been.  Basketball is kind of moving away from that, but it's not a 2 way street.  These colleges have just been making tons of money off these kids and the kids do it because it's "part of the process".

Well, if only they have that much option to reject the process and then go with what they wanted direclty, it could've been an easy journey for them. But unfortunately, that's not really the issue because if we look closely at the bigger picture, going colleges is also important to them even if these young ones aren't planning for it because their path towards greatness like to be a star in their chosen sports is not really guaranteed and if that happens, they can always go back with what they have finished and make it as a main source of income.

[tusandii]

If we are able to check few things surely this will give us better updates as their policies are giving them edge too many immigrants are here, and they are having good facilities and other things which are helpful for having better training and financial packages, so this all is in favor of the USA, and they are ruling the sports world unanimously for decades few countries are trying to catch this all but its never been easy for them as things are never been on level.

Even their main sports are different like NFL, MLB and NHL but still they are best in quality and financial package which is not comparable in near future we can expect good changes but still no challenge for the USA in many sports with now they are getting better in soccer as well hopefully this world cup will bring few more improvements.

Leagues such as the NFL and NBA maybe wildly popular in the US, but at the same time their universities give a lot of importance to athletics and other Olympic sports disciplines. And that is the reason why they perform so well during the Olympic Games. And also, the US attracts a lot of talented athletes. A lot of them migrate to that country and attain the citizenship. In case of football, despite all this they are still unable to perform at the top level. Many of their national team players are of migrant origin, but in the world cups, they have performed poorly.

Soccer is not that popular and of interest to most Americans but there is also a sizable Domestic League.
I think the love of football for the US people will be even greater later when the World Cup is over there and the Domestic League can also be the most interested in by most people even though the NFL and NBA are the most popular.
Even for women's soccer the US has a national team that is strong enough and can compete with other national teams.
With the FIFA World Cup being held there, the US has the opportunity to get tickets to compete in this prestigious event.

[Bobrox]

I think Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and several other countries on the American continent make soccer the favorite there. Even though in America itself football is inferior to sports such as the NBA, it is hoped that the holding of the 2026 World Cup this time will be a good opportunity to increase and attract audience interest in football in the region.

For the appointment of the World Cup host, FIFA has its own regulations in screening participants. Of course all countries have the right to volunteer to host, even the defending champions. However, FIFA prioritizes areas of the country that have minimal interest, this is done as a means of promotion and increasing interest in football itself.

In United State, NBA is bigger than soccer and actually not only with soccer but also American Football more favorite and enthusiastic sport than soccer, its little doubt with United State becoming host of FIFA World Cup 2026 will all matches get full supporter in stadium? Agree with your opinion for the future how selective from FIFA choosing some countries to be host of World Cup, are there football is favorite sport and how enthusiastic respond form their citizen when their country success becoming host of World Cup. 

Every World Cup edition many countries volunteered to be the host and FIFA need to find percentage of each countries citizen excited or not with football, don't push based on how much money they have but FIFA need to priority football in candidate host of World Cup most popular sport there.

[Leviathan.007]

If we are able to check few things surely this will give us better updates as their policies are giving them edge too many immigrants are here, and they are having good facilities and other things which are helpful for having better training and financial packages, so this all is in favor of the USA, and they are ruling the sports world unanimously for decades few countries are trying to catch this all but its never been easy for them as things are never been on level.

Even their main sports are different like NFL, MLB and NHL but still they are best in quality and financial package which is not comparable in near future we can expect good changes but still no challenge for the USA in many sports with now they are getting better in soccer as well hopefully this world cup will bring few more improvements.

Leagues such as the NFL and NBA maybe wildly popular in the US, but at the same time their universities give a lot of importance to athletics and other Olympic sports disciplines. And that is the reason why they perform so well during the Olympic Games. And also, the US attracts a lot of talented athletes. A lot of them migrate to that country and attain the citizenship. In case of football, despite all this they are still unable to perform at the top level. Many of their national team players are of migrant origin, but in the world cups, they have performed poorly.

Soccer is not that popular and of interest to most Americans but there is also a sizable Domestic League.
I think the love of football for the US people will be even greater later when the World Cup is over there and the Domestic League can also be the most interested in by most people even though the NFL and NBA are the most popular.
Even for women's soccer the US has a national team that is strong enough and can compete with other national teams.
With the FIFA World Cup being held there, the US has the opportunity to get tickets to compete in this prestigious event.

It was the main problem when they wanted to make America host the World Cup because there are many other countries where football is very famous.
But I don't think this can be a problem for us to see a country like America hosting the World Cup because even in the past World Cup in South Africa and some other countries football was not the first priority but there we saw many people in these countries show more interest on this sport.

[Sithara007]

Soccer is not that popular and of interest to most Americans but there is also a sizable Domestic League.
I think the love of football for the US people will be even greater later when the World Cup is over there and the Domestic League can also be the most interested in by most people even though the NFL and NBA are the most popular.
Even for women's soccer the US has a national team that is strong enough and can compete with other national teams.
With the FIFA World Cup being held there, the US has the opportunity to get tickets to compete in this prestigious event.

Association football is not very popular in the United States and one of the reasons is that the US national team is not very strong and almost never performs well during the FIFA tournaments. And the American public doesn't like it when their national team loses to countries such as Germany and Argentina. Hopefully during the 2026 tournament, there will be a change. if the national team can do a few upsets, then there is a chance that more and more people may pay attention to football and in the end it will result in an increased popularity for that sport in the US.

[nullama]

~snip~
Association football is not very popular in the United States and one of the reasons is that the US national team is not very strong and almost never performs well during the FIFA tournaments. And the American public doesn't like it when their national team loses to countries such as Germany and Argentina. Hopefully during the 2026 tournament, there will be a change. if the national team can do a few upsets, then there is a chance that more and more people may pay attention to football and in the end it will result in an increased popularity for that sport in the US.

The 2026 world cup might bring football a bit closer to the mainstream media in the US, but it already has been hosted there, and I don't think it has contributed too much.

It was the year 1994 when the US hosted it, that was almost 30 years ago. You would think that in that amount of time you would have seen the effects of it already, but I don't think it has affected it too much.

[tusandii]

-snip-

It was the main problem when they wanted to make America host the World Cup because there are many other countries where football is very famous.
But I don't think this can be a problem for us to see a country like America hosting the World Cup because even in the past World Cup in South Africa and some other countries football was not the first priority but there we saw many people in these countries show more interest on this sport.

All of this is also done for the sake of the progress of football in a country and the US is a country where football is not so popular, unlike several other countries out there.
Even though there will be preparations that take up a large budget to be carried out by the US football association and the government there, such as repairing stadiums and also making extra comfort for every national team player who will compete and for everyone who will watch the World Cup there.
We can only support an effort for the future of each country's football that is being carried out by FIFA.

-snip-

Association football is not very popular in the United States and one of the reasons is that the US national team is not very strong and almost never performs well during the FIFA tournaments. And the American public doesn't like it when their national team loses to countries such as Germany and Argentina. Hopefully during the 2026 tournament, there will be a change. if the national team can do a few upsets, then there is a chance that more and more people may pay attention to football and in the end it will result in an increased popularity for that sport in the US.

The US football association is not very popular, but when they are appointed as the host of the World Cup, it is hoped that the US football association can develop and be more advanced like other sports which are currently growing rapidly in the US.
When competing, I am also not sure that the US can compete with other national teams who are victorious like Spain, France, and also England, but at least when they get tickets to compete in the World Cup, it will raise enthusiasm and determination to be able to have a national team that is also better than before before.

[Blitzboy]

I think Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and several other countries on the American continent make soccer the favorite there. Even though in America itself football is inferior to sports such as the NBA, it is hoped that the holding of the 2026 World Cup this time will be a good opportunity to increase and attract audience interest in football in the region.

For the appointment of the World Cup host, FIFA has its own regulations in screening participants. Of course all countries have the right to volunteer to host, even the defending champions. However, FIFA prioritizes areas of the country that have minimal interest, this is done as a means of promotion and increasing interest in football itself.

In United State, NBA is bigger than soccer and actually not only with soccer but also American Football more favorite and enthusiastic sport than soccer, its little doubt with United State becoming host of FIFA World Cup 2026 will all matches get full supporter in stadium? Agree with your opinion for the future how selective from FIFA choosing some countries to be host of World Cup, are there football is favorite sport and how enthusiastic respond form their citizen when their country success becoming host of World Cup. 

Every World Cup edition many countries volunteered to be the host and FIFA need to find percentage of each countries citizen excited or not with football, don't push based on how much money they have but FIFA need to priority football in candidate host of World Cup most popular sport there.

Its beyond crazy to think FIFA would just hand out hosting rights like candy, without considering the local football culture. NBA and NFL are the American heavyweight. But hey, even I’ve shot a few hoops in my time, and I can tell you the energy around basketball here is electrifying!

Now, will our stadiums be packed during the FIFA World Cup 2026? Its a stretch. Americans will probably fill up the stadiums, not so much for the love of soccer, but more for the spectacle, the international camaraderie, and the FOMO.

FIFA needs to take a hard look at its selection criteria. Hosting the World Cup should be about fanning the flames of football passion, not just a cash grab. America may not be a soccer nation, but when we host, oh, we host! We put on a show. But is that enough for the true essence of the World Cup?

[Maslate]

I think Brazil, Argentina, Uruguay and several other countries on the American continent make soccer the favorite there. Even though in America itself football is inferior to sports such as the NBA, it is hoped that the holding of the 2026 World Cup this time will be a good opportunity to increase and attract audience interest in football in the region.

For the appointment of the World Cup host, FIFA has its own regulations in screening participants. Of course all countries have the right to volunteer to host, even the defending champions. However, FIFA prioritizes areas of the country that have minimal interest, this is done as a means of promotion and increasing interest in football itself.

In United State, NBA is bigger than soccer and actually not only with soccer but also American Football more favorite and enthusiastic sport than soccer, its little doubt with United State becoming host of FIFA World Cup 2026 will all matches get full supporter in stadium? Agree with your opinion for the future how selective from FIFA choosing some countries to be host of World Cup, are there football is favorite sport and how enthusiastic respond form their citizen when their country success becoming host of World Cup. 

Every World Cup edition many countries volunteered to be the host and FIFA need to find percentage of each countries citizen excited or not with football, don't push based on how much money they have but FIFA need to priority football in candidate host of World Cup most popular sport there.

Its beyond crazy to think FIFA would just hand out hosting rights like candy, without considering the local football culture. NBA and NFL are the American heavyweight. But hey, even I’ve shot a few hoops in my time, and I can tell you the energy around basketball here is electrifying!

Now, will our stadiums be packed during the FIFA World Cup 2026? Its a stretch. Americans will probably fill up the stadiums, not so much for the love of soccer, but more for the spectacle, the international camaraderie, and the FOMO.

FIFA needs to take a hard look at its selection criteria. Hosting the World Cup should be about fanning the flames of football passion, not just a cash grab. America may not be a soccer nation, but when we host, oh, we host! We put on a show. But is that enough for the true essence of the World Cup?

Hosting rights is more on the business side and that is also the same reason why the Qatar was then selected to host the most recent World Cup, in fact, some even believed that Qatar bribed some of the members of the FIFA council just to secure their hosting rights and while we cannot really prove that it indeed happen but I think it's somehow safe to say that there was something like that happened behind the scenes.