goooooaaal!
U.S. nets World Cup, with Houston still in play as host city
The United States may not be playing in the 2018 World Cup, but the nation still scored a big win: On June 13, FIFA approved a bid for the U.S., Mexico, and Canada to host the 2026 World Cup. It will be the first World Cup in America since 1994.
The plan is for the United States to host 60 of the 80 matches, with 10 each in Canada and Mexico. There will be 16 total host cities. Canada has three finalists (Edmonton, Toronto, Montreal) and Mexico three (Monterrey, Guadalajara, and Mexico City), so the U.S. has 16 remaining bid cities for 10 spots.
It will be the first World Cup for Canada, which is still emerging at international soccer (although the women's team has had some success) and the first since 1986 for Mexico.
Houston is one of the 16 U.S. cities bidding for the remaining spots, as is Dallas. The United bid group met in the Houston last November, which bodes well. At the very least, at least one of the two cities is a lock, so soccer fans in the state will have access to at least some games.
So while 2018 was a soccer disaster for the United States, thanks to the June 13 vote, the future looks much brighter, and soccer fans in North America will finally be treated to the sport's biggest event once again.
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This story originally appeared on SportsMap.