Football
Tom Marshall, Mexico correspondent 7y

Mexico the 'home side in many cities' at the proposed World Cup - Cantu

Mexico football federation (FMF) general secretary Guillermo Cantu believes that El Tri will be at home in the 2026 World Cup, should the CONCACAF joint bid succeed, even though the vast majority of the matches would be played outside of Mexico.

The news of the joint World Cup bid was met with some resistance in Mexico, almost entirely because the country -- host of the 1970 and 1986 World Cups -- was expected to be handed more games. Instead, the United States is set to host 60, with Mexico and Canada set for 10 games piece.

But Cantu wasn't getting worked up by the criticism of the deal, instead stressing that Mexico also has fans north of the border.

"It is normal to be insatiable, but we are the home side in many cities in the United States," said Cantu in an interview with ESPN's Sportscenter.

"We have a very big Mexican population over there and I think co-organizing a World Cup deserves to be highlighted."

The Mexican national team has played over twice as many matches in the United States since the turn of the last century as it has in Mexico. And since the 2014 World Cup, El Tri has played 27 times in the United States compared to only eight times in Mexico, regularly filling large NFL stadiums with fans paying in U.S. dollars rather than Mexican pesos.

FMF president Decio de Maria suggested that Mexico should be satisfied that there could be some World Cup games coming to the country, which would make Mexico the first to host three World Cups.

"I understand the feeling at present and it can be explained in many ways," said De Maria. "I'd highlight that the United States doesn't need Mexico or Canada to host a World Cup and now all three are helping out."

There was a report on ESPN Mexico late on Monday that the FMF is seeking to host the opening game of the 2026 World Cup at Estadio Azteca, should the bid be accepted, although U.S. Soccer Sunil Gulati president said earlier in the day that no decision had been made over which country would get that honor.

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