FIFA to reveal 2026 World Cup venues Thursday: 16 U.S. cities bidding, how to watch
At long last, after several delays, FIFA will announce on Thursday the 2026 World Cup sites.
Financial and logistical negotiations were still ongoing between the world soccer governing body and some of the prospective venues as late as Wednesday. Some cities -- including Miami -- appeared to be locked in and optimistic as they announced public watch parties for the announcement, being broadcast by Fox Sports 1 from 5 to 6 p.m.
Miami-Dade County and the Miami bid committee announced a watch party Thursday from 5 to 6 p.m. at Fritz & Franz Bierhaus in Coral Gables (60 Merrick Way), a popular soccer gathering spot that is typically packed during World Cups. Elected officials are expected to attend.
Sixteen cites remain in contention to be among the 10 to 12 chosen from the United States for the tournament, which is being co-hosted with Mexico and Canada. Sixty of the 80 games are expected to be played on U.S. soil, including all from the quarterfinals on.
Miami is considered to have a strong bid as Hard Rock Stadium is a state-of-the-art venue built to FIFA specifications, has hosted six Super Bowls, hosted sold-out international soccer matches, and there are a handful of good training sites and fan fest locations in South Florida. Miami International Airport is the busiest U.S. gateway for international passengers with more than 13 million visitors from abroad in 2021.
The initial assumption was that all three Mexican and Canadian cities would be selected along with 10 U.S. cities. Word now is that Mexican venues Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey are locks, as are Toronto and Vancouver, but that Edmonton could be passed over in favor of an 11th – or even a 12th – U.S. city.
The four venues considered locks are New York/New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium, a likely candidate for the final; Dallas’ glitzy 92,967-seat AT&T Stadium, with a roof that makes it weatherproof; Atlanta’s Mercedes Benz Stadium, which draws an MLS-high 46,239 for Atlanta United games; and Los Angeles, with two MLS teams and a pair of stadiums – the Rose Bowl and SoFi Stadium (although the field would have to be widened).
Others likeliest to make the cut are Miami, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle, D.C./Baltimore, Kansas City, and Nashville.
Least likely to make the cut: Boston, Orlando, Denver, Cincinnati.
This story was originally published June 15, 2022 at 4:44 PM.