Canada stands behind North American World Cup bid

The federal government will support Canada's part in an unprecedented three-country bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Canadian heritage minister Melanie Joly said Friday.

Canada has joined the United States and Mexico in a bid for the event. Morocco is the only other candidate.

Joly also confirmed Montreal, Toronto and Edmonton will be candidates to play host to games if the United 2026 bid is successful.

"Montreal is a world-class city and is the perfect venue to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup," Joly, who represents the Montreal riding of Ahuntsic-Cartierville, said at a news conference at Olympic Stadium.

Twenty-three cities have been put up as possible hosts for games, from which 16 will be selected.

Peter Montopoli, secretary general of Soccer Canada, said he is confident all three Canadian cities will get games if the bid succeeds.

Canada could receive 10 matches

FIFA will select up to 16 host cities from the list of 23 if the so-called unified bid gets the nod over Morocco at the FIFA Congress in June.

The potential host cities were announced in advance of the final bid submission from Canada, Mexico and the U.S., to be submitted Friday to the world governing body of soccer in Zurich.

Vancouver dropped off the list at the last minute, as did Chicago over concerns about FIFA's demands.

The unified bid plan calls for 10 matches in each of Canada and Mexico with 60 of the 80 games in the new expanded 48-team tournament format to be held in the U.S.

The American candidate cities are Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Washington D.C.

The Mexico candidate cities are Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey.

The new competition format will feature 16 groups of three with the top two from each pool advancing to a 32-team knockout. The tournament time period will remain at 32 days.

FIFA budgets $6.56BN for 2022 World Cup in Qatar

FIFA expects to earn $6.56 billion in a four-year financial cycle to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, despite a drop in ticket and corporate hospitality sales.

FIFA's 2019-2022 budget projects rises of more than $400 US million each in broadcasting and marketing income over the 2018 World Cup in Russia.

Still, FIFA says "smaller stadiums for the 2022 FIFA World Cup" should mean ticket and hospitality sales of $500 million will be $75 million less than in 2015-18.

More than half of FIFA's revenue will come from broadcasting rights, "86 per cent of which is already contracted."

FIFA plans to spend $6.46 billion from 2019-2022, including a $250,000 annual raise for member associations. Each will get $1.5 million annually. FIFA expects to end the 2022 World Cup with reserves of $1.9 billion.