Why Did World Cup '86 Move From Colombia to Mexico?

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Mexico 86. The World Cup that gave us The Wave, Linekar’s Golden Boot, Josimar’s wondergoals, Pique the Jalapeno, and Maradona’s Hand of God, before turning England’s defense into a gaggle of confused statues. But if you peel back the logo on the 1986 Panini Sticker Album you’ll find it could have been a very different story. Mexico 1986 should have been Colombia 1986.

Colombia is the only nation in the history of the sport to be officially awarded the rights to host the World Cup only to hand the keys back to FIFA and say, "Actually I can only drive Automatic". But what made Colombia’s World Cup dream disappear into the Amazon Rainforest, only to emerge a decade later looking donning a moustache and a sombrero?

This is the story of what happened to Colombia ‘86, the politics, the economic clusterfudge, and a 'transparent' bidding process that lasted all of eight minutes, involving Henry Kissinger, Pelé, and a very well-connected Mexican media conglomerate.

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Дата на публикация: 30 януари, 2026
Категория: Спорт
Ключови думи: to World From Cup Why Did Move mexico Colombia '86