N America WC bid vows record profit

Leaders of North America's bid for the 2026 World Cup urged FIFA voters to ignore the "politics of the moment" on Tuesday as they promised to deliver a record-breaking multi-billion-dollar profit for the global football showpiece.

In an address to the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) in Brussels, United States Soccer Federation president Carlos Cordeiro said the 48-team tournament would hand world governing body FIFA a record $11 billion (9.25 billion euros) profit.

"I can announce today that, working with FIFA, we expect that a 2026 World Cup in North America would generate a new record: more than $14 billion in revenue for FIFA," said Cordeiro, one of the three co-chairs of the bid.

"This includes profits for FIFA of nearly $11 billion. In other words, the most successful and profitable FIFA World Cup ever," Cordeiro added in prepared remarks to AIPS delegates.

The US-Canada-Mexico joint bid is battling against a rival bid from Morocco for the right to stage the 2026 tournament. FIFA members will decide the winner of the bidding race at a vote in Moscow on June 13.

Long seen as the clear front-runner for 2026, the North American bid is facing an increasingly stiff challenge from Morocco, which is bidding to become only the second African nation to host the World Cup.

Cordeiro's remarks on Tuesday sought to underscore the commercial appeal of staging a World Cup in North America at a time when FIFA President Gianni Infantino is keen to boost revenue for world football's ruling body.

A source told AFP earlier this month that FIFA has spent $600 million of its financial reserves in the past three years.

Infantino, who is said to favour the North American bid, also hopes to oversee the creation of a money-spinning FIFA Club World Cup.

North American bid leaders meanwhile provided a detailed breakdown of forecast revenues, predicting record ticket sales of $5.8 million and record gate money of $2.5 billion. Commercial hospitality would also generate another $1-1.5 billion, Cordeiro said.

Cordeiro also projected a sponsorship bonanza, with Fortune 500 companies eager to sign on for the World Cup, leading to another $3.6 billion.