Is the FIFA World Cup coming to Seattle in 2026? It's still a possibility.
On Wednesday, the United Bid Committee announced the full list of cities advancing to the next stage of the bidding process, which includes Seattle. This list of Host City Candidates features 32 cities — four from Canada, three from Mexico and 25 from the United States — to represent North America's unique joint bid as the host of the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“As we move to the next stage of the bid process, we’re even more confident we have everything needed to deliver the largest, most compelling FIFA World Cup™ in history and help accelerate the growth of soccer across North America and around the world,” said United Bid Chairman Sunil Gulati in a press release. “We have more than double the number of cities required to stage matches in 2026. We have a vision for growing the game and engaging fans as never before. Our biggest challenge will be finding ways to honor the enthusiasm of all the people across Canada, Mexico and the United States through the development of our united hosting concept.”
Of the 41 cities that applied to be a host city, the United Bid Committee trimmed the list by nine: Birmingham, Alabama; Cleveland, Ohio; Indianapolis, Indiana; Jacksonville, Florida; New Orleans, Louisiana; Ottawa, Ontario; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; Regina, Saskatchewan; and San Antonio, Texas.
"The 32 cities that we have identified as potential host cities, on their own and together, are prepared to welcome soccer fans from around the world. They are more than capable of helping fulfill the shared vision and ambition of FIFA, and the United Bid in shaping the future of soccer in North America,” said John Kristick, Executive Director of the United Bid Committee in a press release.
The final bid submission is set to be delivered to FIFA in March 2018. See below for the full list of Host City Candidates:
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
Baltimore, Maryland
Boston, Massachusetts
Charlotte, North Carolina
Cincinnati, Ohio
Chicago, Illinois
Dallas, Texas
Denver, Colorado
Detroit, Michigan
Houston, Texas
Kansas City, Missouri
Las Vegas, Nevada
Los Angeles, California
Miami, Florida
Minneapolis, Minnesota
Nashville, Tennessee
New York, New York
Orlando, Florida
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Phoenix, Arizona
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Francisco, California
Seattle, Washington
Tampa, Florida
Washington, DC
“As we move to the next stage of the bid process, we’re
even more
confident
we have everything needed
to deliver the largest, most
compelling
FIFA World
Cup™
in history and help accelerate the growth of
soccer across North America and around the world
,” said
United Bid Chairman
Sunil Gulati
. “We have
more than
double
the number of cities
required
to
stage
matches
in 2026
. We have a vision for growing
the game and engaging fans as never before.
Our biggest challenge
will be
finding ways to
honor
the
enthusiasm
of
all
the people across Canada, Mexico and the United States through the
development
of
our
united
hosting concep
t.”
“As we move to the next stage of the bid process, we’re
even more
confident
we have everything needed
to deliver the largest, most
compelling
FIFA World
Cup™
in history and help accelerate the growth of
soccer across North America and around the world
,” said
United Bid Chairman
Sunil Gulati
. “We have
more than
double
the number of cities
required
to
stage
matches
in 2026
. We have a vision for growing
the game and engaging fans as never before.
Our biggest challenge
will be
finding ways to
honor
the
enthusiasm
of
all
the people across Canada, Mexico and the United States through the
development
of
our
united
hosting concep
t.”
