England could have to wait until 2034 to have a chance of hosting World Cup after being banned by FIFA from holding 2026 competition
USA are heavy favourites to host 2026 World Cup while Argentina and Uruguay are expected to be 2030 co-hosts
ENGLAND have been banned from hosting the 2026 World Cup at the latest FIFA Council Meeting in Zurich.
The controversial awarding of the 2018 and 2022 tournaments to Russia and Qatar respectively means countries from Europe and Asia will be out of the running to host the 2026 competition due to FIFA's continent rotation policy.
The United States were favoured by disgraced former FIFA president Sepp Blatter to host the 2022 World Cup and are now overwhelming favourites to be chosen in 2026.
“That [FIFA's decision] has changed the landscape [of the 2026 contest] a little bit,” said US Soccer Federation president Sunil Gulati.
If the tournament is held in America in 2026, it would coincide with the 250th anniversary of the country's declaration of independence.
The only question may be whether the USA holds the tournament alone or co-hosts it with Mexico and/or Canada.
A joint bid is backed by new FIFA president Gianni Infantino who, as UEFA General Secretary, masterminded the 'all-Europe' Euro 2020.
"An important theme is whether the World Cup can be played in one country or it can be played in more than one," said Infantino in Paraguay in March.
England and other European countries will be able to bid for the World Cup in 2030 but will face a tough challenge from an Argentina-Uruguay joint bid.
The two South American nations have a lot of support within FIFA as 2030 is the 100th anniversary of the first World Cup, which was hosted in Uruguay.
Uruguay beat Argentina 4-2 in the final in Montevideo and Infantino said: "2030 is a very important year, and history must be respected."
Should England decide to target the 2034 World Cup, they will be likely to face a strong bid from China, and possibly Holland.
Both countries have yet to hold the competition.
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