FIFA said on Tuesday that the country that will host the 2026 World Cup will be chosen in May 2020, as it resumed the selection process following a corruption scandal.

Countries will have to present their candidacies before the end of December 2018, the world football body said in a statement after a council meeting in Mexico City.

The bidding process will take place in four steps, with a consultation phase between now and May 2017, "enhanced phases for bid preparation" between June 2017-December 2018, and an evaluation of candidacies between January 2019-February 2020.

The consultation phase will look at the inclusion of human rights requirements, sustainable even management and environmental protection, among other things.

A decision on the number of teams and format of the 2026 World Cup will be decided in October 2016, well before the host is chosen. FIFA is considering expanding the tournament from 32 teams to 40.

The bidding process for the 2026 World Cup was postponed in June due to the corruption scandal which has centered around the attribution of the 2018 World Cup to Russia and the 2022 finals to Qatar.