The writer is a former Mexican ambassador to the US
In 2009, as Mexico’s ambassador in Washington, I began publicly advocating for the strategic merits of a joint Mexico-US bid for the 2026 World Cup. I argued that there were few more effective means than football for sending the message that the two countries needed to become partners in success instead of accomplices to failure.
A joint tournament could project the North American alliance and its regional “brand” to the world. Moreover, the deep ties between our peoples gave the bid unparalleled social and cultural resonance. And unlike previous World Cups, our three nations would not need to build stadiums from scratch but could modernise existing venues, while providing much-needed upgrades to border infrastructure and transport networks. President Barack Obama picked up the idea at the 2013 North American Leaders’ Summit, and the rest, as they say, is history.