00:03The 2026 FIFA World Cup will be the biggest in football history and a landmark moment for the sport in
00:10North America.
00:13For us, it's obviously a momentous occasion for our region and for the three countries.
00:18I think it will be a watershed moment for the sport.
00:24Never before has the competition spanned three members of the same confederation.
00:29And CONCACAF organisers will have their work cut out, putting on an unprecedented 104 matches featuring a record 48 teams.
00:44It will be a game changer. It will be an event, a global event as the world has never seen
00:52of a magnitude that will be massive.
00:54More than six million people will watch the games live in the stadiums. Six billion people will watch them from
01:01home.
01:01And as we know, whatever happens here has an impact all over the world.
01:07Mexico has hosted the World Cup twice before.
01:10Pele's crowning glory in 1970.
01:15And Diego Maradona's Tour de Force in 1986.
01:20While the USA heralded a new era stateside in 1994.
01:27Now you fast forward 20, 32 years, sorry, 32 years and you see how soccer's evolved in the United States.
01:34You see MLS, how MLS has grown. We have the best player in the history of soccer playing in our
01:39league.
01:40You see the infrastructure with the stadiums, the training grounds that have been built.
01:44And now you get to revisit the World Cup 32 years later and you can see how the fans evolved
01:50as well.
01:51From Mexico City, inside the Tropic of Cancer, to Vancouver, gateway to the Great White North.
01:58The 2026 World Cup offers more breadth and depth than any previous tournament.
02:07I'm sure that every fan who will attend games in Canada, be it in Vancouver, in Toronto, they will have
02:13a lot of fun and a lot of joy.
02:15I'm very proud and happy that Canada is part of this incredible World Cup.
02:24Football is booming in North America, helped by the growth of Major League Soccer in the US
02:29and the arrival of international stars like David Beckham and Lionel Messi.
02:36I've seen how much the game has grown in the last 10 years and it's incredible, you know, for it
02:42to have happened so fast and change in so many different ways.
02:49You know, people are really getting behind the game now throughout the US and it's great to see.
02:54It's great to have been a part of. I'm excited about 2026.
02:59With futuristic stadia already in place, 2026 is poised to break the record for the highest attended World Cup in
03:08history.
03:09An honour currently held by USA 94.
03:14You know, as we've said, the capacity of the stadiums, the number of fans who are going to be able
03:19to experience this World Cup will probably double in the stadiums than what we've had for previous World Cups.
03:26I think World Cup 94 holds the current record for attendance and that's going to be blown out of the
03:32water given the capacities that we have in these stadiums.
03:36Ever since Lionel Messi raised the World Cup trophy above his head in Qatar's Lucille Stadium, the clock has been
03:43ticking on World Cup 2026.
03:46The responsibility for showcasing the beautiful game passing from Asia to North America.
03:54The most important thing to remember is the World Cup transcends sport and it plays an exceptional role in uniting
04:03people and countries creating and lasting friendships.
04:06This is the most important legacy that we want to leave today and what we want the United States, Mexico
04:14and Canada to carry on in 2026 when they host the next FIFA World Cup.
04:21We could not be more excited to host four years from now in partnership with Canada and Mexico, the next
04:31World Cup.
04:32We are already part of work preparing for United 2026 and we're looking forward to welcoming fans from around the
04:42world.
04:43It will be a World Cup to remember so we accept these World Cup challenges with humility and we look
04:54forward to bringing the world together in 2026 back on the field ready to compete for our teams and for
05:02our countries and for a better world.
05:05The blue touch paper has been lit. Get ready for the fireworks to begin.
05:13World Cup 2026 is coming to Canada, the United States and to Mexico. Take care. See you soon in Vancouver
05:21and all around North America.
05:23World Cup 2036 is coming to Canada.
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