In separate moves no doubt related to one another, the United States has dropped its 2018 World Cup bid while England have done the same for 2022. The implication here is that by choosing to bow out of the consideration for 2018, the US got something in return; Sunil Gulati has been adamant in recent weeks that the Americans would only limit themselves to one bid if it brought an advantage. With this news coming down today, we can assume that something has been promised to the US bid organizers.
Handicapping anything when it comes to FIFA decisions is dangerous, but today's news makes both the US and England even stronger favorites for 2018 and 2022 respectively than before. The US backing out of 2018 ensures a European tournament for that edition, with England's biggest rivals assumed to be Russia (who recently switched their domestic schedule, perhaps to impress FIFA). Meanwhile, the US is up against just Asian bids for 2022 - Australia, which has limped along for months, Qatar, with their crazy stadium plans, Japan and South Korea, co-hosts in 2002.
"We have had an open and constructive dialogue with the USA Bid for some time now, after it became apparent that there was a growing movement to stage the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Europe," said FIFA Secretary General Jerome Valcke, in the U.S statement.
"The announcement of today by the USA Bid to focus solely on the 2022 FIFA World Cup is therefore a welcome gesture which is much appreciated by FIFA," he added.
That "welcome gesture" essentially translates into brownie points for the US bid.
Whether that makes a 2022 tournament in the States a shoe-in, I'm not going to pretend to know. An expected report on the inspection tours of the various bids will give us more clues; World Football Insider posits that the report was delayed due to anticipated jockeying by bidders like the US and England over which tournament on which they would focus their efforts. Presumably, that report can go forward.
The one troubling recent development for US chances in 2022 was the decision by South Korean federation president Chung Mong Joon not to run for FIFA president against incumbent Sepp Blatter. By not running, Chung may have curried favor with Blatter and his FIFA backers; though the Korean bid suffers from the recency of 2002, they're also known to have pledged a large fund to be distributed for the benefit of soccer around the world.
The bid voting will take place in 47 days.
