“Brazil, like the only other organized candidate, is moving full speed ahead,” said De Jong, who sees little movement in the United States and Mexico and is considering a short-term or slightly longer-term cancellation. “This is purely my assessment. It is an incredible amount of work. The United States and Mexico will organize the men’s World Cup in 2026 and the Olympics will be held in Los Angeles in 2028. There is a risk that they will become the biggest event.” Picture “The Hungry Caterpillar”.
The Dutch Football Association and the German and Belgian Football Associations will submit the physical documents to FIFA in Zurich on Thursday. The World Cup is scheduled to be awarded during the FIFA Congress in Bangkok on May 17.
Girls and women
Now that South Africa has withdrawn from the organization, De Jong wants to focus mainly on African countries in the near future. They will likely vote for South Africa, and now they have to make a different choice. “It is now important to see how we can reach those countries. Their voice could become decisive.”
The Dutch Football Association hopes that the World Cup will encourage more girls and women to play football in the Netherlands. “Our membership is now 15 to 20 percent women. In Scandinavia it’s about 30 percent. We want to catch up.”
