Morocco and the North American bid leaders met on Monday, 11th of June, voters from five of FIFA's six continental bodies, says Associated Press in a live article. The two bidders are expected to meet the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) on Tuesday, only one day ahead of the FIFA vote scheduled for the 13th of June in Moscow, Russia. According to the same source, 50 African voting federations are «being urged» to unify their decision and vote for Morocco's bid to host the 2026 World Cup. The decision comes as former Senegal and Liverpool player El Hadji Diouf, who is also an ambassador of the Moroccan bid, asked African football leaders to «hold hands» on Wednesday, referring to the day of the vote. For the record, Morocco is competing against a joint North American one presented by the United States, Canada and Mexico. The three nations scored better than Morocco when evaluated by the FIFA task force ahead of the vote. However, things can take a different path as more than 207 football federations from all around the world will be entitled to vote for their favorite bidder. Morocco is heavily relying on the support of African nations and also its allies in Europe. In Africa, Liberia, Namibia and Zimbabwe have announced before that they are backing the North American bid in Russia.
