List of potential host cities for 2026 World Cup in North America trimmed to 32
The committee organizing the joint North American bid for the 2026 World Cup has again narrowed its list of potential host cities, this time to 32.
Nine cities, seven of them in the United States, have been cut from the list. Those cities are Birmingham, Alabama; Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Jacksonville, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Ottawa, Ontario; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Regina, Saskatchewan; and San Antonio, Texas.
Of the 32 cities that remain in contention, 25 are in the U.S. Four are in Canada. Three are in Mexico. Under the proposed plan, the U.S. would host 60 of the 80 World Cup matches, with Canada and Mexico each hosting 10.
Not all of the 32 cities will be selected to host games, should the North American bid be selected by FIFA, but the United Bid Committee will work with all 32 to finalize hosting plans and documents as it prepares to present its bid for consideration.
The bid committee had received applications from 41 cities across the three countries. It selected the 32 from those 41.
Here’s the list of potential host cities that remain alive:
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 (Mercedes-Benz Stadium)
Baltimore, Maryland (M&T Bank Stadium)
Boston, Massachusetts (Gillette Stadium, Foxborough)
Charlotte, North Carolina (Bank of America Stadium)
Cincinnati, Ohio (Paul Brown Stadium)
Chicago, Illinois (Soldier Field)
Dallas, Texas (AT&T Stadium, Arlington; Cotton Bowl)
Denver, Colorado (Sports Authority Field)
Detroit, Michigan (Ford Field)
Houston, Texas (NRG Stadium)
Kansas City, Missouri (Arrowhead Stadium)
Las Vegas, Nevada (Raiders Stadium)
Los Angeles, California (L.A. Rams stadium, Inglewood; Rose Bowl, Pasadena; L.A. Coliseum)
Miami, Florida (Hard Rock Stadium)
Minneapolis, Minnesota (US Bank Stadium)
Nashville, Tennessee (Nissan Stadium)
New York (MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, N.J.)
Orlando, Florida (Camping World Stadium)
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Lincoln Financial Field)
Phoenix, Arizona (University of Phoenix Stadium, Glendale)
Salt Lake City, Utah (Rice-Eccles Stadium)
San Francisco Bay Area (Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara)
Seattle, Washington (CenturyLink Field)
Tampa, Florida (Raymond James Stadium)
Washington, DC (FedEx Field, Landover, Maryland)
The bid committee had originally announced a list of 44 cities and 49 stadiums that would be considered for inclusion in the final bid. We ranked those 49 sites, from 1-49, back in August. Since then, Nos. 27, 31, 32, 33, 36, 39, 41, 42, 43, 44, 45, 46, 47 and 49 have been knocked out of consideration.
It’s unclear if any of the cities with multiple stadiums previously listed as potential host sites have focused their efforts on one of the two (or three) stadiums. If not, that leaves 35 stadiums still on the list. (Los Angeles and Dallas are the two with multiple possible sites.)
The bid committee’s press release did note, though, that the cities which had been eliminated are still eligible as sites for team base camps, and could still be involved in a potential North American 2026 World Cup in other ways.
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Henry Bushnell covers soccer – the U.S. national teams, the Premier League, and much, much more – for FC Yahoo and Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Question? Comment? Email him at henrydbushnell@gmail.com or follow him on Twitter @HenryBushnell.
