The United Bid Committee of the United States, Mexico and Canada recently announced the list of potential locations that will serve as Official Host Cities for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, and Charlotte made the list for the first time.
The committee sent out Requests for Information (RFIs) to 44 cities across the three nations, asking each city to declare its interest to take part in the bid process by September 5, 2017. After the RFIs are received, the committee will examine each cities proposal and determine a final list of 20-25 venues to include in the official bid that will be sent to FIFA by March 16, 2018.
It’s anticipated that at least 12 North American locations will serve as Official Host Cities for the 2026 World Cup.
Here is the current list of potential host cities:
United States (34 cities, 37 stadiums):
| City | STADIUM | CAPACITY |
|---|---|---|
| Atlanta, GA | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | 75,000 |
| Baltimore, MD | M&T Bank Stadium | 71,008 |
| Birmingham, AL | Legion Field | 71,594 |
| Boston, MA (Foxborough) | Gillette Stadium | 65,892 |
| Charlotte, NC | Bank of America Stadium | 75,400 |
| Chicago, IL | Soldier Field | 61,500 |
| Cincinnati, OH | Paul Brown Stadium | 65,515 |
| Cleveland, OH | FirstEnergy Stadium | 68,710 |
| Dallas, TX | Cotton Bowl | 92,100 |
| Dallas, TX (Arlington) | AT&T Stadium | 105,000 |
| Denver, CO | Sports Authority Field at Mile High | 76,125 |
| Detroit, MI | Ford Field | 65,000 |
| Green Bay, WI | Lambeau Field | 81,441 |
| Houston, TX | NRG Stadium | 71,500 |
| Indianapolis, IN | Lucas Oil Stadium | 65,700 |
| Jacksonville, FL | EverBank Field | 64,000 |
| Kansas City, MO | Arrowhead Stadium | 76,416 |
| Las Vegas, NV | Raiders Stadium | 72,000 |
| Los Angeles, CA | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | 78,500 |
| Los Angeles, CA (Inglewood) | L.A. Stadium at Hollywood Park | TBD |
| Los Angeles, CA (Pasadena) | Rose Bowl | 87,527 |
| Miami Gardens, FL | Hard Rock Stadium | 65,767 |
| Minneapolis, MN | U.S. Bank Stadium | 63,000 |
| Nashville, TN | Nissan Stadium | 69,143 |
| New Orleans, LA | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | 72,000 |
| New York/New Jersey (East Rutherford) | MetLife Stadium | 82,500 |
| Orlando, FL | Camping World Stadium | 65,000 |
| Philadelphia, PA | Lincoln Financial Field | 69,328 |
| Phoenix, AZ (Glendale) | University of Phoenix Stadium | 73,000 |
| Pittsburgh, PA | Heinz Field | 68,400 |
| Sal Lake City, UT | Rice-Eccles Stadium | 45,807 |
| San Antonio, TX | Alamodome | 72,000 |
| San Diego, CA | Qualcomm Stadium | 71,500 |
| San Francisco/San Jose, CA (Santa Clara) | Levi’s Stadium | 72,000 |
| Seattle, WA | CenturyLink Field | 69,000 |
| Tampa, FL | Raymond James Stadium | 73,309 |
| Washington, DC (Landover) | FedEx Field | 82,000 |
Canada (seven cities, nine stadiums):
| METROPOLITAN MARKET | STADIUM | CAPACITY |
|---|---|---|
| Calgary, Alberta | McMahon Stadium | 35,650 |
| Edmonton, Alberta | Commonwealth Stadium | 56,335 |
| Montreal, Quebec | Stade Olympique | 61,004 |
| Montreal, Quebec | Stade Saputo | 20,801 |
| Ottawa, Ontario | TD Place Stadium | 24,341 |
| Regina Saskatchewan | Mosaic Stadium | 30,048 |
| Toronto, Ontario | Rogers Centre | 53,506 |
| Toronto, Ontario | BMO Field | 28,026 |
| Vancouver, British Columbia | BC Place | 55,165 |
Mexico (three cities, three stadiums):
| METROPOLITAN MARKET | STADIUM | CAPACITY |
|---|---|---|
| Guadalajara, Jalisco | Estadio Chivas | 45,364 |
| Mexico City | Estadio Azteca | 87,000 |
| Monterrey, Nuevo Leon | Estadio Rayados | 52,237 |
Charlotte City Officials have not made a final decision as to whether or not they will apply to become a host city.
Gregg Watkins, spokesman for Mayor Jennifer Roberts, released a statement saying, “At this point, all I can say is that city staff is reviewing potential next steps.”
Charlotte becoming a host city for the World Cup would certainly boost our international credibility, but whether or not it would create a positive economic impact in the short term is questionable. According to Economist Robert Brown, the expected economic impact of the 1994 World Cup in US cities was a $4 billion dollar gain, but the result was actually an estimated $5.5-9.3 billion loss for all US host cities combined.
Do you think Charlotte should become a host city for the 2026 World Cup?