Hope Solo: U.S. shouldn't get to host 2026 World Cup

Hope Solo isn't on board with either of the two contenders to host the 2026 World Cup, but especially not the bid led by her own country.

Members of FIFA are preparing for a vote on June 13 that will decide if the summer tournament in eight year's time will take place in Morocco, or if a joint-bid by the United States, Canada, and Mexico will return the World Cup to North America for the first time since 1994.

But Solo, the former U.S. goalkeeper who earned 202 caps over 16 years with the national side, believes her native country shouldn't get to host soccer's most prominent competition again.

"I can't say it should be awarded to Morocco," Solo told The Associated Press' Rob Harris. "But I don't think it should go to the United States, and that's hard to say."

Her concerns with the United 2026 bid stem from a number of perceived issues within the U.S. Soccer pyramid, including a lack of equal pay between the men's and women's national team players. Solo, who ran for president of the federation earlier this year but lost out to Carlos Cordeiro, is also fighting for added protections for non-professional athletes in the system and has thrown her support behind implementing the promotion and relegation system in Major League Soccer, which is predominantly used in Europe.

Morocco's World Cup bid was given the green light by FIFA's Evaluation Task Force earlier this month despite being deemed a "high risk" in terms of transportation, accommodation, and stadiums. The North American bid, meanwhile, outscored the Moroccan bid 402-275 in tests and wasn't named a high risk in any category.

Despite the United 2026 proposal scoring well, Solo still hopes the chance of hosting the World Cup will persuade the sport's global governing body to pursue a change in the U.S. pyramid.

"Hopefully FIFA can stand up and step in and say, 'If we're going to reward you, let's look at everything and point out where you can fix certain things,'" she said.

During her international career, Solo helped the U.S. win, and subsequently defend, a gold medal at the Olympic Games in 2008 and 2012. She also started for the nation at the 2015 World Cup in Canada, helping the U.S. secure its third title and simultaneously earning the tournament's Best Goalkeeper award. The 36-year-old hasn't played for her country since 2016, however, after receiving a six-month suspension and having her contract terminated by U.S. Soccer for comments made after a match against Sweden at the Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.