USMNT star tips Nigeria to host FIFA World Cup

USMNT striker Folarin Balogun has openly expressed his desire to see Nigeria host the FIFA World Cup at some point in the future. 

Born in New York and raised in London to Nigerian parents of Yoruba heritage, the 24-year-old forward has proudly embraced his African roots. 

Despite his connection to Nigeria, however, the Monaco striker pledged his international allegiance to the United States. 

He is now expected to play a key role for head coach Mauricio Pochettino's squad as the USA actively prepares to co-host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Canada and Mexico.

Balogun's dream for his parents' homeland will have to wait until at least 2042 due to FIFA's current scheduling framework. 

Historically, South Africa stands as the only African nation to have ever hosted the tournament, successfully staging the iconic 2010 Mundial. 

Morocco is officially set to become the second African country to host World Cup matches when they co-host the 2030 edition alongside Spain and Portugal, effectively preventing an African country from hosting the 2038 edition. 

With the 2034 tournament already claimed by Saudi Arabia, the 2038 edition stands as the next completely unassigned event, but a CAF nation cannot host the edition. 

Consequently, the earliest Nigeria, or any other African nation, could legitimately launch a standalone bid to exclusively host the world's biggest sporting event is the 2042 FIFA World Cup.