Orlando officials ‘highly encouraged’ as FIFA visits to review region’s World Cup bid
The delegation examining Orlando’s bid to host World Cup games in 2026 saw the region’s venues and amenities made available for the global tournament and said the fast-paced visit had “been very, very good,” after wrapping up a luncheon with more than 100 elected and business leaders.
About two dozen delegates from FIFA, U.S. Soccer and CONCACAF had a slate of tours planned in the afternoon of various venues pitched as gameday and practice facilities for World Cup teams, as well as other sites for meetings and fan events if Orlando is selected.
“We’ve witnessed firsthand the enthusiasm and the passion to host the World Cup here,” said Collin Smith, FIFA’s chief tournament and events officer.
Orange County Mayor Jerry Demings said he was optimistic about the region’s positioning ahead of the decision expected early next year on the 11 U.S. cities that will host games.
“We all leave today highly encouraged that Orlando will be in the hunt when the decision is made,” he said.
The Saturday visit will be a huge factor in the decision as it likely will be the only face-to-face meeting and site visit to Orlando as part of the decision process. Virtual meetings have been held, and negotiations continue, Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer said, but specifics of the region’s proposal haven’t been made public.
North America is hosting the 2026 games with the 80 games in the tournament split between the United States, Mexico and Canada. Sixty games are slated to be played in U.S. venues, with Orlando one of 17 cities under consideration as one of 11 hosts.
The tournament of nations will have the field expanded to 48 teams – up from the traditional 32 – and brings tens of thousands of people from around the world to host countries to follow the games. Another 3.6 billion people watched the 2018 competition played in Russia on television.
The full list of U.S. cities in contention are Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington, D.C.
Games will also be played in Canada and Mexico.
It remained unclear how the decision will be made, but one of the world’s top soccer officials said everything from transportation to hospitality to quality of venues will be considered.
“The World Cup is really a magical experience for everyone who witnesses it…and so we look at every piece of the puzzle that goes into making those magical experiences, basically,” said FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani.
Demings said the region offers an affordable solution as a host.
“When FIFA looks at the bottom line, they have to make the dollars all work and so because of our venues here I believe we can compete in terms of pricing with any other market that’s in the nation,” he said.
The delegation toured Camping World Stadium, which is pitched for the games. The stadium, then named the Citrus Bowl, also hosted five World Cup games in 1994.
A presentation at a luncheon at Exploria Stadium detailed the Orlando host committee’s top reasons why the city should be selected. Chairs were set up for about 100 people representing businesses and governing bodies across the region and was closed to reporters.
Orlando’s host committee includes Jason Siegel, the CEO of the Greater Orlando Sports Commission, Dyer and Demings, Mark Wilf, chairman of the Orlando City Soccer Club and Brazilian soccer star Kaká, who starred for Orlando City in its inaugural MLS season.
“Orlando is already on the soccer map,” Kaká said. “How big is it going to be? This is the challenge.”
Tours were also planned of potential training grounds for teams in at Sylvan Lake Park, Seminole Soccer Complex, the University of Central Florida and Osceola Heritage Park, as well as Wall St. Plaza and the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts, potential sites of fan events.
“All of the assets we have in place makes this the perfect place to host World Cup,” Dyer said. “We have the hotels, we have the attractions, we have great stadiums, there isn’t anything that is missing from our picture.”
