Bidding for the 2026 World Cup was meant to start this year and be decided at a congress in Kuala Lumpur in 2017. But Valcke said the process has been halted. "It was decided to place the administrative process on hold for the 2026 FIFA World Cup bidding due to the current situation," a FIFA statement said.
"Due to the situation, I think it's nonsense to start any bidding process for the time being," Valcke told a news conference in Samara, one of the Russian cities to host the 2018 World Cup.
The United States, Canada, Mexico, Morocco and Kazakhstan have all been linked to possible 2026 bids.
US authorities have charged 14 football officials and sports marketing executives over more than US$150 million of bribes. They include the seven - two of them former FIFA vice presidents - detained in Zurich and now fighting extradition to the United States.
The corruption controversy ruined Blatter's reelection for a fifth term as FIFA president on May 29 and he announced just four days later that he would resign. An election for a new leader will not be held before December, but potential successors are already jostling for position to run the world's richest and most powerful sporting federation.
-Agencies
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