Dallas is one of the 22 cities in North America vying for a chance to host the World Cup.
After a few years of waiting and talking about it, the 2026 World Cup hosting selection will take place later today across North America. FIFA is set to announce the host cities for the 2026 World Cup during an event in NYC and the Dallas market is one of the 22 cities vying for the 16 or so slots to host the World Cup in a few years.
In total, 60 matches will be played in the U.S., while Canada and Mexico will each host 10. Here’s a list of every candidate city:
As far as U.S.-based candidate cities, Atlanta, along with Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas/Fort Worth, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, and Washington/Baltimore are finalists. At least 10 of those are expected to be picked.
Dallas was a part of a small group of cities looking to host for the second time. Boston, DFW, LA, NY/NJ, Orlando, and Washington DC hosted matches for the 1994 World Cup, the last World Cup held on North American soil.
According to the official FIFA bid book, Atlanta (Mercedes-Benz Stadium) and DFW (AT&T Stadium) were recommended to host the two semifinals, with FIFA citing “geographic location, travel distances, and stadium capacity” as the reason. MetLife Stadium outside of New York was recommended for the final due to the size of the venue, hotel availability, and the region’s status as a major international travel hub.
Dallas will also utilize their large amount of athletic facilities for the tournament. SMU, Toyota Stadium, and MoneyGram Park. The bid also has Dallas vying for the chance to host the International Broadcast Center for the tournament as well. Their only competition in that regard is Atlanta.
Later today, at 3 p.m., key Dallas leaders will share remarks ahead of one of the biggest announcements ever in the city of Dallas at the AT&T Discovery District. FC Dallas and Dallas Cowboys players will be on hand to share in the excitement.
Leave a Reply