The bid beat off competition from Morocco and was chosen in a vote by 203 of FIFA’s 210 member federations present in Moscow, the Russian capital, one day before the World Cup 2018 opener in the city between hosts Russia and Saudi Arabia.
The 'United Bid' for the three North American countries won 134 votes compared to 65 for Morocco.
The North American bid was seen as a safer bet than Morocco, whose proposal was deemed "high risk" in several key areas.
The North American tournament will see games take place in up to 16 stadiums, the majority of which will be in the USA. All of the stadiums already exist, and will only require renovation ahead of the tournament.
The expanded format in 2026 will include 48 teams, playing a total of 80 matches. The US would host 60 of those games, while Canada and Mexico would hold 10 each.
The Moroccan bid offered a tournament spread across 14 stadiums in 12 cities, but would have involved an estimated $16 billion spend on stadiums and infrastructure.
