Morocco has lost out to a joint bid from the US, Canada and Mexico to host football’s Fifa 2026 World Cup.

It is the fifth time that North African country has lost out on hosting football’s biggest international competition. It previously bid to host the 2010, 2006, 1998, and 1994 tournaments.

Morroco said that it would host games in 14 stadiums in 12 cities. Nine of the proposed stadiums would need to be built and the final would be hosted in the proposed 93,000 seater Grand Stade de Casablanca.

The United bid from the US, Canada and Mexico received 134 or 67 per cent of the 200 votes cast in a Fifa ballot on 13 June – one day before the 2018 Fifa World Cup starts in Russia. The Morocco bid was the only other bid, it received 65 votes of 33 per cent of the total. There was one association that did not bid.

From the region, Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Oman, Palestine, Qatar, Syria, Tunisia and Yemen voted for Morocco. Bahrain, Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia and the UAE voted for the United bid.