Kansas City’s bid takes next step to bring 2026 World Cup to heart of North America
Kansas CIty’s bid to become a 2026 World Cup host city took another step Thursday when city officials completed a virtual one-on-one presentation to FIFA and U.S. Soccer officials.
Next in the process: venue visits by FIFA to each of the proposed host cities and stadiums, with an final selection expected sometime in 2021.
Kansas City is one of 17 cities in the U.S. that are bidding for World Cup games. The event will be held throughout North America, with sites also going to Canada and Mexico.
The 2026 World Cup will be the first such tournament with 48 teams and 80 games. In the U.S., 10 stadiums for 60 games will be selected. Mexico and Canada will each have three host cities and 10 games apiece.
Sites in Canada (Edmonton, Montreal, Toronto) and Mexico (Guadalajara, Mexico City and Monterrey) have already been determined.
Joining Kansas City and Arrowhead Stadium as U.S. host-site finalists are Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Washington D.C.
The Kansas City bid team includes state and local officials from Missouri and Kansas, Sporting KC, the Chiefs, VisitKC, the Greater Kansas City Chamber of Commerce, the United Soccer Coaches organization, Heartland Soccer Association and the Kansas City Sports Commission, headed by president & CEO Kathy Nelson.
“We presented a strong, cohesive vision that demonstrates Kansas City’s experience hosting major sporting events as well as our ability to unite an entire region around those events,” Nelson said. “Kansas City has demonstrated a strong commitment to growing the game of soccer and hosting World Cup matches in 2026 would allow us to cement our legacy as the soccer capital of America.”
“Kansas City is perfectly positioned in the heart of North America to welcome the world and our bid’s vision is to unite our region around this momentous occasion,” said Sporting Kansas City President and CEO Jake Reid. “Today was another important opportunity to showcase our region as a thriving destination with incredible support for soccer as we take the next step in bringing the World Cup to the Midwest.”
This story was originally published July 9, 2020 at 2:41 PM with the headline "Kansas City’s bid takes next step to bring 2026 World Cup to heart of North America."