Robert Kraft a big part of unified bid to bring 2026 World Cup to North America
Patriots and Revolution owner Robert Kraft was named the honorary chairman of the board for the United Bid Committee of Canada, Mexico, and the United States that will oversee the bidding process to bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup to North America.
Kraft has long been a prominent figure in American soccer. In the early 1990s Kraft secured Gillette Stadium in Foxborough as a venue to host games in the 1994 FIFA World Cup, and that success helped pave the way for Major League Soccer to debut in the United States in 1996, with Kraft’s Revolution a charter member.
“I am honored to be serving in this role and eager to do everything in my power to bring the FIFA World Cup back to North America to share the competition with all the deserving fans in the United States, Canada, and Mexico,’’ said Kraft in a statement from the United Bid Committee.
Added US Soccer president Sunil Gulati: “Robert Kraft has been one of the most influential figures in modern professional sports in the United States. He is a leader who saw the potential of soccer in America early on and has been heavily invested in the success and growth of the game over the last three decades. Robert will be a great asset to our effort to bring the 2026 FIFA World Cup to North America.’’
FIFA has issued a deadline of Aug. 11 for member associations to confirm their intention to compete to host the 2026 World Cup, and the deadline for the submission of the formal bid to FIFA is March 16, 2018. All competitors must then submit a bid proposal for consideration by the FIFA Congress next June.
