Decio de María, President of the Mexican Football Federation, stated that soccer is stronger than a wall and ensured that the 2026 World Cup will be successfully held in conjunction with the United States and Canada.
In a roundtable held in London, England, De Maria was accompanied by Sunil Gulati, President of US Soccer, and Víctor Montagliani, President of CONCACAF. De Maria stated, "The wall is not what will divide or affect this candidacy, but it is soccer that will make it possible."
Furthermore, he assured that our country is working to fulfill the necessary documents on time, along with the other two countries.
On the other hand, he said, "For the people in our country, a tournament of this magnitude will be a great satisfaction. The first time was in 1970, a long time ago, then in 1986. Today, those generations remember those World Cups and tell the children how those events were experienced."
He also mentioned that it is the first time the candidacy is made with three countries: "It is important to see how we are working. It is very difficult for a single country to have the infrastructure for such a sporting competition of such magnitude."
"Soccer is stronger with the union of these three countries and we have to remember that people believe in each participant of this candidacy. We open our arms to welcome the rest of the world, and that is the most important thing about all the opinions expressed about this candidacy," De Maria concluded.
Finally, he pointed out that it is still unknown if Mexico will host the grand final of the tournament: "We cannot predict the future and the final decision lies with FIFA. We are happy with the decision of how many matches each country will have."