2026 World Cup bidding process delayed
2026年世界杯申办将推迟

The start of the bidding process for the right to host the 2026 World Cup will be postponed due to the ongoing investigations surrounding football's world governing body. The decision on who will host the tournament had been due to be made in Kuala Lumpur in 2017.

The announcement comes as Russia's Sports Minister said he sees no threat to Russia hosting the World Cup in 2018. The official was backed by FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke who said there is no evidence to conclude Russia's bidding process was not in line with regulations.

FIFA will hold an extraordinary executive committee meeting in July to discuss dates for the election to replace president Sepp Blatter, who announced his resignation last week.

In a statement, football's scandal-hit world body failed to confirm UK media reports that the election is scheduled to take place on December 16th.