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CONCACAF chief Jeffrey Webb says he'll push FIFA for 2026 vote

CONCACAF chief Jeffrey Webb reiterated the reasons he'll back the region's nations to host the 2026 World Cup for the first time since 1994.

Mexico, Canada and the United States have all expressed interest in floating bids.

Webb, a FIFA vice president, favors an early start to the 2026 bidding process because of the complicated football calendar from a governance perspective.

"I think the opening stages of the process have to begin now, in 2015, with the end being in 2017," Webb told SportBusiness International. "If you look at the international calendar you have Russia with a [FIFA] Congress in 2018 and then another presidential election in 2019. So if FIFA doesn't do it in 2017, the next date you'd be looking at is 2020, which of course would only give countries five-and-a-half or six years to prepare.

"We think this is something that FIFA should immediately start to look at, with a view to perhaps making a decision in 2017."

Webb said: "It is well known that I feel passionately about bringing the 2026 World Cup to the Concacaf region. The success of the 2016 Copa America in the U.S. can only help to achieve that goal by demonstrating to the football world just what can be achieved."

The Canadians have never hosted a World Cup, while Mexico's last World Cups were in 1970 and 1986.

Webb made his comments this week during the CONCACAF and the South American Football Confederation (CONMEBOL) meetings in Punta del Este, Uruguay on Thursday.

The meeting was staged to discuss preparations for the United States' hosting of the Copa America Centenario next year.

Competition organisers last month said that 24 metropolitan areas in the United States are interested in hosting matches at the national team competition, its first edition to be staged outside South America. A decision is due in May.

Webb said organisers will assign hosting rights to between nine and 13 venues, and added that Major League Soccer (MLS) stadiums are under consideration. 

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