2026 World Cup bid committee receives 41 host responses
The 2026 World Cup bid committee has obtained 41 applications from cities across the United States, Canada, and Mexico to host matches for the quadrennial event.
Of the 44 cities reached out to in July, only Calgary, Green Bay, and San Diego did not respond to a request from the United Bid Committee, according to ESPN FC's Jeff Carlisle.
That leaves 32 cities in the U.S., six in Canada, and three in Mexico in consideration, with the committee set to unveil a shortlist in the fall ahead of the submission of a final bid to FIFA no later than March 16, 2018.
"The Host Cities will help define the United Bid. Each will offer the best facilities and infrastructure to stage the world's biggest single-event sporting competition, the FIFA World Cup, and together they will play a key role in the development of the sport in North America," United Bid Committee Executive Director John Kristick told ESPN FC.
"We're thrilled with the submissions that we have received, especially each city's commitment to innovation and sustainability, and we look forward to bringing the best group of candidate host cities together for our official United Bid."
It's expected that the list will be narrowed to 20-to-25 cities for the official submission to FIFA as the tournament expands to 48 nations for the first time.
In addition to McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Qualcomm Stadium in San Diego, and Lambeau Field in Green Bay, the Rogers Centre in Toronto and Stade Saputo in Montreal have also been taken off the original 49-stadium list. Toronto's BMO Field and Montreal's Stade Olympique remain in contention.
Host venues require at least 40,000 seats for the group stage, and twice that to be considered for the opening match and final.
The remaining venues are as follows:
United States
City | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Atlanta | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 75000 |
Baltimore | M&T Bank Stadium | 71008 |
Birmingham | Legion Field | 71594 |
Boston | Gillette Stadium | 65892 |
Charlotte | Bank of America Stadium | 75400 |
Chicago | Soldier Field | 61500 |
Cincinnati | Paul Brown Stadium | 65515 |
Cleveland | FirstEnergy Stadium | 68710 |
Dallas | Cotton Bowl | 92100 |
Dallas (Arlington) | AT&T Stadium | 105000 |
Denver | Sports Authority Field | 76125 |
Detroit | Ford Field | 65000 |
Houston | NRG Stadium | 71500 |
Indianapolis | Lucas Oil Stadium | 65700 |
Jacksonville | EverBank Field | 64000 |
Kansas City | Arrowhead Stadium | 76416 |
Las Vegas | Raiders Stadium | 72000 |
Los Angeles | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 78500 |
Los Angeles | LA Stadium at Hollywood Park | TBD |
Los Angeles | Rose Bowl | 87527 |
Miami | Hard Rock Stadium | 65767 |
Minneapolis | U.S. Bank Stadium | 63000 |
Nashville | Nissan Stadium | 69143 |
New Orleans | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | 72000 |
New York/New Jersey | MetLife Stadium | 82500 |
Orlando | Camping World Stadium | 65000 |
Philadelphia | Lincoln Financial Field | 69328 |
Phoenix | University of Phoenix Stadium | 73000 |
Pittsburgh | Heinz Field | 68400 |
Salt Lake City | Rice-Eccles Stadium | 45807 |
San Antonio | Alamodome | 72000 |
San Francisco/San Jose | Levi’s Stadium | 75000 |
Seattle | CenturyLink Field | 69000 |
Tampa | Raymond James Stadium | 73309 |
Washington | FedEx Field | 82000 |
Canada
City | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Edmonton | Commonwealth Stadium | 56335 |
Montreal | Stade Olympique | 56335 |
Ottawa | TD Place Stadium | 24341 |
Regina | Mosaic Stadium | 30048 |
Toronto | BMO Field | 28026 |
Vancouver | BC Place | 55165 |
Mexico
City | Stadium | Capacity |
---|---|---|
Guadalajara | Estadio Chivas | 45364 |
Mexico City | Estadio Azteca | 87000 |
Monterrey | Estadio Rayados | 52237 |