US
President Donald Trump lobbied publicly on Monday for Nigeria to support the North
American bid to host the 2026 World Cup.
In
a press conference with Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari in the White House
Rose Garden, Trump appealed for support from the region for the joint bid
submitted to FIFA by the United States, Canada and Mexico for the 2026
tournament, which is in competition with Morocco's hosting candidacy.
"I
hope all African countries and countries throughout the world - that we also
will be supporting you - and that they will, likewise, support us in our bid,
along with Canada and Mexico, for the 2026 World Cup," Trump said.
"We
will be watching very closely, and any help that they could give us in that
bid, we would appreciate."
Last
week, Trump seemed to warn US allies not to oppose the "STRONG bid"
by the North American neighbours.
"It
would be a shame if countries that we always support were to lobby against the
U.S. bid. Why should we be supporting these countries when they don't support
us (including at the United Nations)?" he tweeted.
The
2026 World Cup follows Qatar in 2022 and will be the first with 48 teams.
After
the scandals which surrounded the voting for the World Cups in Russia in 2018
and Qatar in 2022, it will be the first World Cup to see the host elected by
FIFA members at their congress, and no longer by the former executive
committee.
The
vote is planned for the FIFA congress on June 13 in Moscow, on the eve of the
opening match of the World Cup.
DPA
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