OT: 44 cities in North America seeking to host FIFA World Cup 2026

[LadyStanley]

https://www.reviewjournal.com/sport...le-bid-world-cup-and-las-vegas-a-perfect-fit/

LV Columnist on 44 cities in US, Canada and Mexico vying for opportunity to be one of twelve cities to host World Cup (should it be awarded to continent). And he makes the case that Las Vegas (in new NFL stadium) should be one of the hosts.

https://www.reviewjournal.com/busin...s-stadium-considered-for-2026-fifa-world-cup/

Cities contacted have until September 5 to declare interest. Final decision made in June.

The cities on the short list will then have until January to submit a more detailed bid. The committee will then choose 20 to 25 cities before submitting their bid to FIFA by March 16.
A stadium must have a seat capacity of at least 40,000 seats to host group stage matches and 80,000 to host the opening and final match.

Click to read more...

 

[Trizent]

100 to 120 F temperatures likely hurt the chances some, but otherwise I'd like to see it.

 

[PSGJ]

Why on earth are they doing a joint application with the US, Mexico and Canada? The two first could easily apply on their own. Maybe I could see them applying together, but why drag Canada along as well?

 

[Trizent]

Probably charge more for tix in Canada than in Mexico.

 

[Big McLargehuge]

There's probably about 35-40 better options on that list...but they'll have a brand new stadium with the latest amenities, so if they can get night games it's feasible.

**** the entire concept of a daytime summer game outside in Las Vegas, though.

I'll do everything I can to get to at least one of the games in LA. I'm happy that Pittsburgh is on that list, but with a continental World Cup I can't see a mid-sized market without an MLS team having much of a chance at hosting any games. The concept of a continental World Cup still bugs the hell out of me, there's enough stadiums ready to host 2 simultaneous World Cups in the US as it is. 60 of the 80 games would be held within the US, though.

 

[Jumptheshark]

correct me if I am wrong

but all stadiums need natural grass or did fifa change that rule

if so--that takes out a lot of cities

 

[Big McLargehuge]

It's easier to resurface a field than it is to build a stadium specifically for a World Cup, I'm not too worried about that. It probably will help pare the list down a bit, at least with the smaller venues.

Selfishly I do hope that improves the odds of Pittsburgh hosting a game, though...Heinz Field has a grass field. A legendarily awful grass field, but it is grass

 

[theaub]

correct me if I am wrong

but all stadiums need natural grass or did fifa change that rule

if so--that takes out a lot of cities

The rumour I've always heard is that the '15 WWC was a test run for 2026 being on turf, with the hope that the technology would advance significantly within that 11 year span.

But yes, otherwise it will take out a lot of cities or temp grass will need to be installed.

 

[sabresfan65]

100 to 120 F temperatures likely hurt the chances some, but otherwise I'd like to see it.

Or playing in an air conditioned, domed stadium with a grass field may help the chances.

 

[molsonmuscle360]

The 12 cities I would most likely pick if I was FIFA are:

US:

New York
L.A.
Chicago
Miami
Phoenix
San Antonio

Canada:

Toronto
Montreal
Edmonton (They are the only city in Canada that actually has FIFA experience)
Vancouver

Mexico:

Mexico City
Monterey

 

[tony d]

Should be a fun tournament, if North America gets it. First 48 team World Cup, Canada hosting World Cup games as well would be great for the game of soccer here.

 

[Albatros]

Would be cool if they would stick at least primarily to soccer-specific stadiums, otherwise this will end up being like watching Islanders hockey. But I like the idea of hosting it in all three countries definitely.

 

[IME]

The new Cowboys stadium in Dallas is almost a lock to host one semi-final and the final. The only other venues who may have a shot are Metlife in NJ and the new LA stadium for the Rams (not done yet). I personally would select Soldier Field in Chicago over Metlife just because Soldier Field is actually in Chicago whereas Metlife is in NJ, not NY.

For group stages, I would like:

Mexico
Mexico City. One venue, sure, but man, what a venue.

Canada
Toronto (Rogers Center)
Vancouver (BC Place)
Montreal (Olympic Stadium)

US
Seattle (CenturyLink)
Miami (Hard Rock)
Philadelphia (Lincoln Financial Field)
San Fran (Levi's Stadium)
Boston (Gillette)
Washington, DC (FedEx) (Gotta have a game in the capital)
Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz)
Charlotte (Bank of America)**
Denver (Sports Authority)
Detroit (Ford Field) (Plus proximity to Canada)
Minneapolis (U.S. Bank)
Nashville/New Orleans

HM: Pittsburgh
** struggled with this one, but I think you have to have a couple of southern cities

I think the biggest criteria for the ones submitted should be whether you think tourists will enjoy a particular town during the group stages. That's why I did not include Cleveland, Green Bay, Indianapolis, or Glendale. Not that these are bad cities, but I think you'd have more fun in Denver or Boston than you would in Cincinatti.

I'd even be in favor of eliminating a couple of those american ones so that the big-time stadiums host the group stage too.

 

[LadyStanley]

San Fran (Levi's Stadium)

(First - definitely not a local to call it that. Nor is it called "Frisco")

Ahem.

Santa Clara. (Home of the NFL San Francisco 49ers. Where the Sharks played their Stadium Series game)

A lot closer to San Jose (8 miles to city hall) than San Francisco (43).

 

[Burke the Legend]

I don't think Montreal can do it. No way on Olympic stadium unless they move some portable grass in right before the game and the outdoor stadiums are too small.

 

[mouser]

Keep in mind FIFA is expanding to a 48 team tournament, so more games.

- 16 groups of 3 teams that play a round robin. 48 games
- 32 team elimination bracket, with a 3rd place game. 32 games

Bid breakdown:
- Canada: 10 games
- Mexico: 10 games
- USA: 60 games including all games from quarterfinals forward.

Guesstimate of the game breakdown based on %'s:
- Canada: 6-7 group games, 3-4 round of 16/32 games
- Mexico: 6-7 group games, 3-4 round of 16/32 games
- USA: 34-36 group games, 16-18 round of 16/32 games, 8 remaining playoff games

A guess at where the hosts could be:
Canada: Edmonton, Montreal, Vancouver, Toronto unless a larger capacity stadium is built elsewhere between now and then. 2x in Edmonton and Montreal, 3x in Toronto and Vancouver.

Mexico: Mexico City is of course a lock. Monterrey highly likely as well. I suspect they'd like to spread at least a few more of the games around outside Mexico City since this is such a big occasion. Likely places: Guadalajara, Puebla City.

USA:
Locks (6): Los Angeles (Rose Bowl or new NFL stadium), Bay Area (Levi's), Dallas (AT&T), Boston (Gillette), Washington DC (FedEx), New York (MetLife).

Highly Likely (4-5): Chicago (Soldier), Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz), at least one Florida location of Orlando/Miami/Tampa--maybe two locations with fewer games each, Seattle (CenturyLink).

Good Odds (3): Detroit (likely Michigan Stadium over Ford field), Phoenix (UoP), Carolina (BofA).

Interesting Possibilities (8): Kansas City (Arrowhead), Columbus (OSU), Houston (NRG), Las Vegas (new stadium), Minneapolis (USBank), Nashville (Nissan), New Orleans (Superdome), Denver (SA). Only reason I listed Denver lower here is if they'd have any altitude concerns, but then there will be games in Mexico City at high elevation as well.

With 60 games to go around in the USA, I wouldn't be surprised if they selected 15-20 US stadiums. Although some of those might have only a single game.

 

[Hank Chinaski]

Would be cool if they would stick at least primarily to soccer-specific stadiums, otherwise this will end up being like watching Islanders hockey. But I like the idea of hosting it in all three countries definitely.

FIFA regulation pitch fits perfectly in almost any American football stadium. Not really analogous to shoehorning a rink into a venue built for basketball.

 

[AdmiralsFan24]

I have no idea why Green Bay is on the list. It's small and out of the way. Madison makes infinitely more sense than Green Bay does and even Madison doesn't make a lot of sense.

 

[LeHab]

Why on earth are they doing a joint application with the US, Mexico and Canada? The two first could easily apply on their own. Maybe I could see them applying together, but why drag Canada along as well?

No doubt as USA have successful had one and Mexico two. USA went with a solo bid for 2022 but finished 2nd to Qatar (with all shenanigans we know). With more teams and games (80 in 2026 vs 64 in 2022) there is not that much impact by sharing it.

Having Canada riding shotgun will hopefully help raise local interest, competitiveness level and also have a positive impact on MLS. I think it also increases the chances to have it hosted in NA as the other two countries already hosted.

Canada's best chance to participate in one is as a Host Country, hopefully we can put a decent team at least. Canada already hosted U20 and Women World Cup's with success but there is no way we could host men tournament solo.

 

[mouser]

I have no idea why Green Bay is on the list. It's small and out of the way. Madison makes infinitely more sense than Green Bay does and even Madison doesn't make a lot of sense.

Looks like they included every single NFL stadium.

 

[Albatros]

FIFA regulation pitch fits perfectly in almost any American football stadium. Not really analogous to shoehorning a rink into a venue built for basketball.

As long as they keep out of baseball venues (unlike the MLS...) that's the lesser problem of course, it's rather the weak ice / horrible pitch quality that makes them unworthy.

 

[LadyStanley]

http://www.sportsnet.ca/soccer/seven-canadian-cities-considered-inclusion-2026-fifa-world-cup-bid/

The Canadian entries for consideration:
Calgary (McMahon Stadium), Edmonton (Commonwealth Stadium), Montreal (Stade Olympique and Stade Saputo), Ottawa (TD Place Stadium), Regina (Mosaic Stadium), Toronto (Rogers Centre and BMO Field) and Vancouver (BC Place).

In addition to the Canadian options above, there are three stadiums in Mexico plus 37 venues in the United States—two of which, AT&T Stadium and Los Angeles Stadium at Hollywood Park, have the potential to hold more than 100,000 fans.

A total of 49 venues in 44 cities.

 

[Zegras Zebra]

I don't know why everyone is suggesting that Montreal's Olympic Stadium should host games? Isn't the stadium considered a dump that is starting to fall in on itself? It would take major renovations to make the stadium suitable for hosting games for a FIFA World Cup. I'm sure BC Place in Vancouver, Rogers Centre (Sky Dome) in Toronto and Maybe Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton would be the only stadiums large enough to host games otherwise. Maybe Investors Group Stadium in Winnipeg, the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina, and Calgary's replacement for MCMahon will be large enough if extra seating is added.

You could literally throw darts on a map of the U.S.A and find enough suitable stadiums for a FIFA World Cup due to the large number of NFL, and NCAA college football stadiums available in the continental U.S.A.

Azteca would obviously be a good choice for games in Mexico. Based on teams currently competing in Liga MX, there are at least 4 other stadiums with a capacity over 50,000 however I'm not sure how modern those facilities would be for hosting FIFA World Cup matches.

 

[Street Hawk]

I don't know why everyone is suggesting that Montreal's Olympic Stadium should host games? Isn't the stadium considered a dump that is starting to fall in on itself? It would take major renovations to make the stadium suitable for hosting games for a FIFA World Cup. I'm sure BC Place in Vancouver, Rogers Centre (Sky Dome) in Toronto and Maybe Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton would be the only stadiums large enough to host games otherwise. Maybe Investors Group Stadium in Winnipeg, the new Mosaic Stadium in Regina, and Calgary's replacement for MCMahon will be large enough if extra seating is added.

You could literally throw darts on a map of the U.S.A and find enough suitable stadiums for a FIFA World Cup due to the large number of NFL, and NCAA college football stadiums available in the continental U.S.A.

Azteca would obviously be a good choice for games in Mexico. Based on teams currently competing in Liga MX, there are at least 4 other stadiums with a capacity over 50,000 however I'm not sure how modern those facilities would be for hosting FIFA World Cup matches.

Canadian contingent, Regina/Winnipeg have new stadiums that normally hold 33K. Expandable temp seating pushes them to 40K. But, it doesn't compete with the US will have 30 NFL stadiums, plus college fields as well.

As for having grass, I recall that the old Silverdome in Detroit, that they put in a temporary grass field for the group play. Given the time of year that the world cup is held, stadiums can put in grass then remove it for field turf afterwards.

 

[GindyDraws]

Looks like they included every single NFL stadium.

Except Buffalo.