One more step before we know who will make the final cut comes before the final bid
Today Miami, Orlando, and Tampa were three of the 32 cities across North America that the United Bid Committee that could serve as Official Host Cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup. The 32 potential host cities include four cities in Canada, three in Mexico and 25 cities in the United States. The United Bid Committee also confirmed it will continue engaging with non-host cities in the further development of the United hosting concept.
FIFA will complete its evaluations of 2026 bids in March, and award the hosting rights at its congress next June. By then, the United States-Canada-Mexico will have trimmed its list of venues to a final group of about a dozen cities.
“As we move to the next stage of the bid process, we’re even more confident we have everything needed to deliver the largest, most compelling FIFA World Cup, in history and help accelerate the growth of soccer across North America and around the world,” said United Bid Chairman Sunil Gulati. “We have more than double the number of cities required to stage matches in 2026. We have a vision for growing the game and engaging fans as never before. Our biggest challenge will be finding ways to honor the enthusiasm of all the people across Canada, Mexico and the United States through the development of our united hosting concept.”
The next step for the representatives from Miami, Orlando, and Tampa is getting ready to join the other 29 cities in Houston on November 13th where there will be a working session. During that weekend in Houston, the United Bid Committee will integrate the 32 potential host cities into the United bid strategy and vision, as well as work with local officials to finalize the hosting documents required by FIFA.
“If the United Bid is selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, subject to FIFA’s determination, it’s expected that at least 12 locations could ultimately serve as official host cities,” organizers told the media in a press conference. Cities not selected still could be involved as training sites and base camps or venues for the preliminary or final draws.
Canada (4)
Edmonton, Alberta
Montréal, Québec
Toronto, Ontario
Vancouver, British Columbia
Mexico (3)
Guadalajara, Jalisco
Mexico City, Mexico
Monterrey, Nuevo León
United States (25)
Atlanta, Georgia
Baltimore, Maryland
Boston, Massachusetts
Charlotte, North Carolina
Cincinnati, Ohio
Chicago, Illinois
Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Detroit, Michigan
Houston, Texas
Kansas City, Missouri
Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nashville, Tennessee
New York, New York
Orlando, Florida
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Francisco, California
Seattle, Washington
Tampa, Florida
Washington, DC
The following cities were not selected as Host City candidates however they will be included as part of the United Bid as base camp and practice areas for World Cup teams: Birmingham, Alabama; Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Jacksonville, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Ottawa, Ontario; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Regina, Saskatchewan; and San Antonio.
