The US men’s team kicks off a busy summer of games on home soil with a Concacaf Nations League tie against Honduras in Denver on 3 June. But there’s action off the pitch, too, as the contest intensifies between cities vying to host 2026 World Cup fixtures.
The hope is that international borders will open to allow Fifa to conduct in-person inspections in the summer or early autumn, with the 37-member Fifa council set to decide the winners at the end of this year after input from the three countries’ football associations.
“We’re all in the same boat here,” said Chris Canetti, president of the Houston 2026 bid committee. “The pandemic has created a challenge where everything’s had to be done virtually and Fifa has not been able to make site visits into the markets to visit the stadiums or drive through the cities. I think we’ve all been placed at an equal disadvantage.”
As things stand, 16 cities will host the 48-nation, 80-match tournament. The host cities in Canada (Edmonton, Montreal and Toronto) and Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey) have already been chosen. But in the US, 17 cities are still competing for the 10 US hosting spots. The plan is for 60 games in the US, including the quarter-finals, semi-finals and final, and 10 each in Canada and Mexico.
There were a couple of early upsets: no Chicago – among the biggest and most alluring cities in North America, not to mention the home of the US Soccer Federation – or Vancouver, the host of the 2015 Women’s World Cup final. City leaders were unwilling to meet Fifa’s onerous financial and legal conditions. Now Montreal’s status is in question after the government of Quebec decided to withdraw financial support earlier this year.
Below are the US cities still competing for a place at the World Cup – and their chances of making the cut.
Atlanta
Venue: Mercedes-Benz Stadium (forecasted capacity for World Cup: 65,085)
Soccer’s coming home rating: 4/5
A major city with one of the world’s biggest airports, a stunning modern downtown stadium with a retractable roof and a wildly popular MLS team. The only real downside is the need to install a temporary grass pitch.
Baltimore
Venue: M&T Bank Stadium (63,689)
Rating: 2/5
An underrated city with a good airport and downtown stadium, though no MLS club - which could be spun into a unique selling point with legacy in mind. Charm City has a shot as an easy DC-adjacent alternative if Fifa take an intractable dislike to FedEx Field; otherwise Philadelphia is likely higher in the east coast pecking order.
Boston
Venue: Gillette Stadium (60,335)
Rating: 3.5/5
Appealing city but a mediocre stadium with synthetic turf in a lousy location nearly 30 miles from downtown. However, New England Revolution, New England Patriots and Gillette Stadium owner Robert Kraft is a powerful figure who played a role in bringing the tournament to North America as honorary bid chairman. Boston is also one of the most sport-passionate cities in the US.
Cincinnati
Venue: Paul Brown Stadium (60,294)
Rating: 1/5
A central, riverside, venue in a city with a well-supported new MLS team but a relatively small urban area and airport. Within five hours’ drive from numerous big cities, including Chicago, but Kansas City probably has the edge if Fifa want a Midwestern stadium.
Dallas
Venue: AT&T Stadium (80,415)
Rating: 5/5
The stadium is actually in Arlington, near the middle of the epic Dallas-Fort Worth urban sprawl. Usefully situated halfway between New York and LA, with great airport links and ample accommodation, the Dallas Cowboys’ retractable-roofed spaceship is one of the biggest and best stadiums in the world and at least a semi-final contender.
Denver
Venue: Empower Field at Mile High (69,977)
Rating: 3/5
A big, buzzing city with a massive airport, a centrally-located stadium and a long-established, if middling, MLS team in the Colorado Rapids. That famous 5,100ft elevation risks concerns over competitive balance, but it’s not a deal-breaker given the selections of Mexico City and Guadalajara (7,300ft and 5,100ft respectively). A successful Concacaf Nations League finals this month could boost Denver’s chances.
Houston
Venue: NRG Stadium (62,444)
Rating: 3.5/5
A region of over seven million people that’s more than twice the size of Qatar, plenty of experience hosting international matches, impressive hotel, venue and airport options and an air-conditioned retractable-roofed stadium to mitigate the heat and humidity. But would require a temporary natural grass pitch. Proximity to Dallas could be a plus or a minus.
Kansas City
Venue: Arrowhead Stadium (69,070)
Rating: 2/5
The Hunt family, who control FC Dallas and the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs, have a long and influential history in Major League Soccer. Sporting KC are an MLS triumph and St Louis (a mere 250 miles away) is set to join the league in 2023. The airport is getting a new terminal but infrastructure isn’t on a par with larger rivals.
Los Angeles
Venue: Rose Bowl (76,106) and/or SoFi Stadium (70,000 expandable to 100,000)
Rating: 5/5
The colossal, venerable, Rose Bowl hosted the 1994 final and the 1999 women’s final. But the state-of-the art facilities and copious corporate suites at the new SoFi Stadium – at $5.5bn the world’s most expensive – make it a contender to stage a semi or the final if the playing surface can be adapted to Fifa’s satisfaction.
Miami
Venue: Hard Rock Stadium (60,404)
Rating: 4/5
Summer is not the ideal time to play in south Florida’s heat and humidity. But the glamour of Miami is hard to resist, it’s a gateway to Latin America, headquarters of Concacaf and hometown of former US Soccer president Carlos Cordeiro, and the stadium has often hosted big fixtures – including El Clásico.
Nashville
Venue: Nissan Stadium (62,498)
Rating: 2/5
A city on the rise, it’s now known for soccer as well as music thanks to Nashville SC, who began MLS play in 2020. The stadium is centrally located and a drivable 250 miles from Atlanta. An intriguing option – but an underdog, unless Fifa decide to prioritize proximity to honky-tonks.
New York/New Jersey
Venue: MetLife Stadium (74,895)
Rating: 5/5
The $1.6bn stadium that opened in 2010 will vie with LA for the final, and since SoCal had the honor in 1994 (with the now-demolished Giants Stadium hosting Bulgaria v Italy in the last four) perhaps it’s the turn of the US’s most populous metropolitan area and main media market.
Orlando
Venue: Camping World Stadium (58,012)
Rating: 3/5
Hosted matches in 1994 (unlike Miami) and its theme parks mean it has one of the busiest airports in the country and an enormous array of hotel rooms. The stadium – the former home of MLS club Orlando City – is nothing special. A Sunshine State double act has geographical merit but a Miami-Atlanta pairing is more likely.
Philadelphia
Venue: Lincoln Financial Field (62,123)
Rating: 3/5
Size (eighth-biggest US metro area), status as a famous/infamous sports hub with an MLS team, tourist appeal and handy placement between Washington and New York make Philly a logical choice. Risks losing out to Boston if only three northeastern cities get the nod but could profit if it’s au revoir to Montreal.
San Francisco Bay Area
Venue: Levi’s Stadium (61,198)
Rating: 4/5
With LA a sure thing it makes sense to add a second venue in the most populous state and the 49ers’ house is in a wealthy, touristy and populous region, though it garners mixed reviews – and it’s a fair distance from downtown San Francisco. The posse of Silicon Valley tech giants on the doorstep is sure to set Fifa’s corporate juices flowing. Plus: Condoleezza Rice!
Seattle
Venue: Lumen Field (61,812)
Rating: 4/5
Central stadium in a seductive city that’s home to one of MLS’s best supported and most storied teams, as well as major corporations. In a soccer hotbed region, though a tad isolated from other contenders – albeit the closest to Edmonton – and would have to add natural grass.
Washington DC
Venue: FedEx Field (60,961)
Rating: 3/5
Joe Biden was more of a gridiron guy in his playing days although he has shown more interest in soccer of late. The political and cultural heft of the capital – as well as its tourist and transport options – will help the city that’s home to MLS founding member DC United. Still, the main negative is a serious one: the unloved and poorly-situated stadium itself. A new one may be coming … in 2027.
from Football | The Guardian https://ift.tt/3g2jq4q
via IFTTT
No Comment