The US, Canada and Mexico are hosting matches.
The governing body of international soccer, FIFA, has sent a delegation to the United States to see which cities are good enough to host matches during the 2026 Men’s World Cup. Good enough means, how much money a local area is willing to pony up to satisfy FIFA. The United States, Canada and Mexico are hosting the global competition. East Rutherford, New Jersey and Inglewood, California more than likely don’t have to put on much of a show to convince the money loving soccer group that New York and Los Angeles have the markets that have what it takes to host a game. The country’s third largest market, Chicago, won’t make the cut because local officials and business leaders decided the World Cup is too expensive a proposition for the area. Las Vegas didn’t bother putting in a bid either. It is hard to imagine FIFA turning down Jerry Jones’s Arlington, Texas Cowboys stadium or Miami Dolphins owner Stephen Ross’s facility, Ross has an incentive to land the World Cup, he gets a big bonus from local government officials when he lands a big event because big events allegedly bring in tourists who spend money in the area.
The initial FIFA visits that were just concluded took place in Foxboro, Massachusetts, Nashville, Atlanta, Orlando, Washington, Baltimore, East Rutherford, Philadelphia and Miami. There will be another visit sometime this fall to other American markets. According to FIFA, the purpose of the visit was to hold meetings with a variety of stakeholders, including city and stadium authorities, as well as football clubs and other sports organizations, while covering key topics like venue management, infrastructure, sustainability and commercial, legal and legacy matters. Legacy matters is an interesting area. Sports mega-events such as the World Cup generally leave a legacy of large debt once the circus leaves town.
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