Cities interested in staging matches as part of a potential World Cup in North America will be revealed next week ©Getty Images

A list of cities from the United States, Canada and Mexico interested in staging matches as part of the joint 2026 World Cup bid are due to be unveiled next week, US Soccer President Sunil Gulati has revealed.

Gulati also welcomed the challenge from Morocco after the African nation confirmed yesterday they would bid for the tournament.

Morocco are the only contender other than the joint North American bid currently the overwhelming favourite to be named hosts of the 2026 tournament.

The two bids must submit their official bid books by March 2018 and a host will be chosen at the FIFA Congress in Moscow on June 13 next year. 

The US Soccer head, a member of FIFA's ruling Council, claimed they had "always been prepared" for another country to enter the race.

"Competition is good, and overall it shows the value and importance of the World Cup," Gulati said.

"We're excited to prepare a bid that will demonstrate to FIFA that the first World Cup to be held in the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football (CONCACAF) region since 1994 should be awarded to Canada, Mexico and the US.

"We'll continue to put together a bid that will meet and exceed the final regulations and specifications required by FIFA."

Gulati said they had talked to a "number of cities" across the US, Canada and Mexico.

"They’re excited about the World Cup," he added. 

"So there’ll be a little bit of friendly competition here to be one of the final selected venues."

Should the joint CONCACAF bid secure the hosting rights for the 2026 World Cup - the first edition of the tournament to feature 48 teams after FIFA agreed to expand the number of competing nations from 32 earlier this year - the majority of the matches would be held in the US.

Mexico and Canada will host just 10 games each, with the other 60 played in the US, including from the quarter-finals onwards.

Mexico and Canada would host just 10 games each, with the other 60 played in the US ©Getty Images
Mexico and Canada would host just 10 games each, with the other 60 played in the US ©Getty Images

Morocco were able to submit a candidacy for the 2026 World Cup after FIFA's Council rejected a proposal from Canada, Mexico and the US to fast-track their bid in May.

FIFA instead opted to keep the bidding window open for a further three months and gave other interested countries until yesterday to confirm their intention to bid.

The expansion of the event from 32 to 48 teams is thought to have put Morocco at a disadvantage compared with the North American attempt.

The country may need to rely on a co-host to ensure they have the necessary infrastructure capable of hosting a 48-team tournament.

Countries from the member associations of the Confederation of Africa the Confederation of North, Central American and Caribbean Association Football, the South American Football Confederation and the Oceania Football Confederation were invited to bid.

As part of current World Cup rotation rules, UEFA and the Asian Football Confederation are not eligible as Russia and Qatar are hosting the 2018 and 2022 editions respectively.

They will be granted the opportunity to launch an attempt to stage the competition if any of the candidates for 2026 fail to meet FIFA's requirements.