FIFA to reveal 2026 World Cup sites on Thursday. This is why Miami should make the cut | Opinion
Finally, on Thursday, after years of fierce lobbying and endless speculation, FIFA will name the host cities and stadiums for the 2026 World Cup.
Miami is on the short list and if selected, which is a safe bet, it will be a bigger deal than the record 11 Super Bowls South Florida has landed.
No offense to the NFL or American football, but soccer is the most popular sport in the world and TV viewership of the last World Cup was 3.57 billion (1.1 billion for the final game), dwarfing the 208 million who tuned in to the last Super Bowl.
Having covered six World Cups in the United States, France, Japan/South Korea, Germany, South Africa and Brazil, I can say, without reservation, that there is no greater sporting event in the world. The Olympics come close, but for pure, unbridled fan passion, nothing beats the World Cup and where better to host a global sports party than in the Miami area?
Miami is one of 16 cities bidding from the United States, along with three from Mexico and three from Canada.
It is the first time three nations co-host a World Cup. The United States is expected to host 60 of the 80 games, and 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 (least glamorous of the three Canadian cities) could be passed over in favor of an 11th — or even a 12th — U.S. city.
Only the people inside FIFA’s inner circle know which lucky cities will be picked. Sources say there were still financial negotiations going on between FIFA and bid cities as late as last week.
But this much we know: FIFA has said all along that it is basing its decisions first and foremost on stadium size and excellence, and factoring in geography, hotel room capacity, fan fast venues, training facilities, broadcast facilities, and airports.
Based on those criteria, Miami should make the cut.
Hard Rock Stadium (capacity: 67,518) is not as big as Dallas’ AT&T Stadium, L.A.’s SoFi Stadium, New York/New Jersey’s MetLife Stadium or Atlanta’s Mercedes-Benz Stadium — all four of those are considered locks – but it is one of the nation’s premier soccer venues.
It was built to FIFA specifications by original owner Joe Robbie, who loved soccer. The grass field (or pitch, as soccer purists prefer to call it) is world class, and the stadium was renovated by current Dolphins owner Stephen Ross to resemble a European soccer venue. It has hosted sellout crowds for South American national team matches as well as games involving marquee clubs such as FC Barcelona, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Bayern Munich.
Hard Rock Stadium also has a reputation for hosting huge sporting events, including six Super Bowls, the Miami Open tennis tournament, and most recently, the Miami Grand Prix Formula One race.
Miami was not a host city for the 1994 Cup because of schedule conflicts with the Marlins, who played at the stadium at the time.
Training sites? South Florida has those, too.
FIU is home of the USL’s Miami FC; Barry University has beautiful fields and has hosted training for the U.S. national team and big-name clubs; the Dolphins have a new training facility adjacent to the stadium; and Inter Miami’s soccer complex in Fort Lauderdale features eight full fields, a 50,000-square foot training facility and the 18,000-seat DRV PNK Stadium.
If all goes as planned, Inter Miami’s Freedom Park Stadium in Miami will be ready in time for 2026 and could be used in some capacity.
Fan fest sites? Check.
Lummus Park, the Miami Beach Convention Center and Bayfront Park in Downtown Miami were all visited by FIFA officials during their site visit, and those venues could accommodate an estimated 150,000 fans.
As for the airport, Miami ranks high there, too.
Miami International Airport recently became the busiest U.S. gateway for international passengers, according to 2021 airport rankings published by Airports Council International (ACI). MIA welcomed more than 13 million international passengers in 2021, moving it from second place in 2020 to the top ranking in the U.S. and 11th place in the world.
“You break down each of our customer groups, clients who consume a World Cup, we then go through their customer journey and need to deliver every single aspect,” Colin Smith, FIFA chief of tournaments and events, said during his Miami visit last September.
“For teams, pitches are the first thing. We need to provide state-of-the-art pitches, not only in the stadium but also in the training sites. For media, we need broadcast facilities. The Fan Fest has become a huge part of big events for those that cannot get to the stadium — a great way for people to get together and enjoy the World Cup en masse.”
South Florida also has hotels and dining options aplenty. Two areas where Miami might not make high marks is public transit usage and weatherproofing. Without a roof over Hard Rock Stadium, there is the potential of torrential summer rain and lightning storms disrupting games. But overall, Miami has a strong bid.
On Thursday, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m., FIFA will make its announcement. It will be televised on Fox Sports 1.
Here’s a guess as to how it will play out for the U.S. cities:
Locks: New York/New Jersey, Dallas, Atlanta, Los Angeles.
The announcement is being made in New York City, and 87,000-seat MetLife Stadium is a likely spot for the final. Dallas’ glitzy stadium seats 92,967 and has a roof. Atlanta has hosted the Olympics, is a broadcast hub and Atlanta United leads MLS in attendance with an average crowd of 46,239. L.A. has two stadiums, two MLS teams and is a good candidate to host high-profile matches.
Likely to host: Miami, San Francisco, Philadelphia, Houston, Seattle, D.C./Baltimore, Kansas City.
Levi’s Stadium is new, has grass and the San Francisco Bay area is a great tourist destination. Philly’s bid committee reportedly has done a great job. Houston is near the Mexican border and has a retractable roof. Seattle has great fans and is close to Vancouver and San Francisco for travel ease (turf a negative). Hard to imagine a World Cup snubbing the nation’s capital. Kansas City has strong soccer culture and would be the only Midwest venue.
Unlikely to make the cut: Boston, Nashville, Orlando, Denver, Cincinnati.
All five of these cities are worthy candidates. Boston and Orlando hosted World Cup games in 1994. But they don’t check as many boxes as the other 11 cities.
Then again, it’s FIFA making these decisions. Anything is possible. Stay tuned.
This story was originally published June 14, 2022 at 5:21 PM.