Where is the 2026 world cup held

One small rung below them are a few other highly appealing locales: Boston, Washington, D. Let's bring the World Cup to Los Angeles! If they get the nod, that leaves just three of 11 spots open. Climate, tourism infrastructure and venue characteristics will all factor in, too — and the local bid committees will be making their pitches for what they have to offer, from culture to corporate support and beyond.

Nashville bid chair Butch Spyridon gave a glimpse into that process when he spoke with reporters at the US-Canada World Cup qualifier at Nissan Stadium earlier this month.

And then we can put the sizzle, entertainment-wise, as good as anybody, if not better. I would stake our reputation on that. So we have 16 million visitors a year, one of the top-performing hotel markets, and our international presence is growing daily. So if we can convey that, we think we have a chance.

Which brings us to the bidders who are eclipsed by bigger contenders in their vicinity, but offer synergies in that sense. Might there be value in pairing cities like Houston and Dallas, Baltimore and D. FIFA requires far more from bidding cities than just an appropriate stadium, a big population and a good airport. There are layers upon layers of planning and redundancy built into all this. We also look at the climate conditions, in terms of the timing of matches, the heat in certain matches at certain times of the day … We look at the roads, we look at the airports, we look at the hotel, transport concepts, mobility concepts.

What can this World Cup bring to them? As much as obviously what a city can bring to us, what are they looking to get out of it? This month marks the start of the recruiting phase, if you will. Candidate cities are making their pitches to impress FIFA officials, checking the logistical boxes while also making personal and memorable connections.

Some of that process will unfold in the public eye. Beyond their baseline requirements, will the governing body value the biggest possible stadiums for maximum crowds and income? Do they emphasize more cosmopolitan, quirky or entertainment-rich locales? Will they shy away from the prospect of summer heat in certain open-air venues for an event that will surely have plenty of day games to align with primetime television viewing in Europe and the Middle East?

It is hoped that the 11 U. The World Cup will be the largest in history with 80 games played overall, 60 of which will be in the USA and the entire tournament from the quarterfinal stage onwards will be in the U. This has got us thinking: How have things moved on for potential host cities since the announcement in that the U. Below we rank the 17 venues vying for the 11 host stadium spots in the U. Washington, D. FedEx Field 4. Miami Hard Rock Stadium 5.

Seattle Lumen Field 6. Atlanta Mercedes-Benz Stadium 7. Boston Gillette Stadium Denver Mile High Philadelphia Lincoln Financial Field. Missing out Kansas City Arrowhead Stadium Houston NRG Stadium Nashville Nissan Stadium Orlando Camping World Stadium