At this point, the only certainty about Cincinnati’s bid to host FIFA Men’s World Cup matches in 2026 is that the years-long process ends on Thursday.
While pundits have always doubted Cincinnati’s viability as a potential host site for the World Cup, one of the biggest and most glamorous sporting events on the planet, the city has survived to achieve the status of finalist in the application process and will learn his fate on Thursday evening.
At an announcement ceremony in New York, FIFA officials will nominate a to-be-determined number of US cities to host World Cup matches as part of the 2026 tournament to be co-hosted by the United States , Mexico and Canada.
Cincinnati has a reasonable chance of being involved in the 2026 World Cup in some form, perhaps as a base camp and training site for one or more national teams during the tournament, but the real price that many American cities are looking for is the games themselves.
After:FIFA World Cup draw: USMNT to face England, Iran, European qualifier winners in Qatar
After:‘Message received’: Here’s what we learned from the 2026 FIFA World Cup site visit
It’s hard to handicap where Cincinnati’s bid for the 2026 World Cup is relative to shrinking home matches because the decision-making process is unstable.
In addition to FIFA using the past few days and weeks to iron out issues with bid leaders, it’s unclear how many US cities will be selected. While FIFA initially sought to rely on 10 US-based markets in addition to three cities in Mexico and Canada, experts and insiders publicly suggested this week that up to 12 US cities could end up see assign matches.
Of particular interest is the fate of Edmonton, whose Commonwealth Stadium in the capital of Alberta, Canada, may be out of the running to host games.
A development such as only two Canadian cities hosting games could open the door to the selection of additional US cities.
Win or lose, Thursday’s announcement will end an offer from Cincinnati officials seeking to use football’s biggest stage to elevate the region.
“When we first offered Cincinnati to American football as part of the effort to win the 2026 World Cup here in the United States, Mexico and Canada, most people assumed that (Cincinnati) was a long shot,” said Jeff Berding, co-CEO. leader of FC Cincinnati and an executive member of the Cincy 2026 Local Organizing Committee. are mobilized to bring us to this point.
“There’s a lot of pride in the bid from where we started… This new football culture has helped shine a light on the growth of Cincinnati, and I think it’s aligned the World Cup bid, and can -to be leveraged, the growth, the rebirth, the emergence of FC Cincinnati. All of these things have gone hand in hand, supporting each other. There are so many people in this community who deserve to be congratulated.
The competition
Cincinnati’s bid faces stadiums in Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington DC/Baltimore.
For now, Thursday’s reveal by FIFA of the US cities that will host the matches remains a closely guarded secret.
What’s clear is that the country’s soccer pundits aren’t giving Cincinnati’s bid much of a chance. YahooSports said Cincinnati’s Paul Brown Stadium was still a long way from being awarded games, while NBCSports ranked the city’s bid last of 16 still in contention.
Bettors don’t like Cincinnati’s odds either. Bookies.com rated Cincinnati as the longest shot to earn World Cup host city status for games.
Here is an overview of other US-based stadiums and some of their features:
Atlanta – Mercedes Benz Stadium (capacity of 71,000 seats; retractable roof and artificial playing surface). Other: Home of Major League Soccer’s Atlanta United FC and has hosted many high-profile matches including the 2018 MLS Cup and 2018 MLS All-Star Game (MLS vs. Juventus).
Boston – Gillette Stadium (capacity of 65,878; outdoor and artificial playing surface). Other: Home of the New England Revolution of MLS, hosted MLS Cup and Copa America Centenario (2016) games, friendlies, etc. Additionally, the old Foxboro Stadium hosted 1994 World Cup matches.
Cincinnati – Paul Brown Stadium (capacity of 65,535 seats; open air and artificial playing surface) More details here. Other: The United States Women’s National Team played in the stadium. Cincinnati has hosted five USWNT and United States Men’s National Team matches since 2017, including the USMNT-Mexico World Cup qualifier in November at TQL Stadium.
Dallas – AT&T Stadium (capacity of 80,000 seats; retractable roof and artificial playing surface).
Denver- Empower Field at Mile High (76,125; outdoor and grass playing surface)
Other: Hosted Concacaf Gold Cup, Concacaf Nations League matches.
Houston- NRG Stadium (72,200 seat capacity; retractable roof and once featured a grass playing surface). Other: The Mexican national team has played matches in the arena, which also hosted Copa America Centenario matches in 2016).
Kansas City – Arrowhead Stadium (capacity of 76,416 places; outdoor and grass playing surface). Other: Home of Kansas City’s Major League Soccer franchise, now known as Sporting KC, until 2007.
Los Angeles-Rose Bowl (capacity of 90,000 seats; outdoor stadium and grass surface) and Sofia Stadium (capacity of 70,000 seats, partially closed and artificial surface). Other: The Rose Bowl served as the venue for the 1994 Men’s World Cup and the 1999 Women’s World Cup, with the championship games of both tournaments being held there. Also hosts the Concacaf Gold Cup and friendlies. SoFi Stadium hosted the 2022 NFL Super Bowl.
Miami – Hard Rock Stadium (capacity of 65,326 places; outdoor and grass playing surface). Other: Earlier in its existence, the venue was a proposed venue for the 1994 World Cup. The Hard Rock Stadium has hosted several international and top club friendlies, including some as part of the International Champions Cup .
Nashville- Nissan Stadium (capacity 69,143; outdoor and grass playing surface, but could use major renovations or replacement). Other: Hosted USMNT World Cup Qualifier against Canada, home of MLS’s Nashville SC in 2020, 2021. Also home of 2017 Concacaf Gold Cup matches.
New York/New Jersey – MetLife Stadium (capacity of 82,500 seats; open air and artificial playing surface). Other: Hosting of the Copa America Centenario final in 2016. Also hosting of friendly matches.
Orlando- Camping World Stadium (capacity of 65,000 seats; open air). Other: Home of Orlando City SC before the construction of the club’s soccer-specific stadium. Also home to the Copa America Centenario.
Philadelphia – Lincoln Financial Field (67,594 capacity; outdoor and grass play surface). Other: The very first event in the stadium was a friendly match between FC Barcelona and Manchester United FC. Served as the short-term home of the Philadelphia Union for two games in its inaugural season in MLS. Also hosts Concacaf Gold Cup matches, USMNT 2010 Send-Off Series match against Turkey, Copa America Centenario, Friendlies.
San Francisco – Levi’s Stadium (capacity of 68,500 seats; outdoor and grass playing surface). Other: Home of Copa America Centenario matches.
Seattle – Lumen Field (capacity of 67,000; open air and artificial surface). Other: Home of Seattle Sounders and hosted MLS Cup, Concacaf Champions League, 2022 Concacaf Champions League Final (2nd leg), Copa America Centenario, friendlies.
Washington D.C./Baltimore – M&T Bank Stadium (71,008 capacity; outdoor and grass playing surface).
How to watch
Thursday’s announcement by FIFA officials is set to begin at 5 p.m. ET with TV coverage on FS1, Telemundo and FIFA+.
Locals can catch a watch party at The Pitch, a football bar just across Central Parkway from TQL Stadium and located at 1430 Central Pkwy.
The Enquirer will provide live coverage and real-time updates from Cincinnati’s bid leaders following the announcement.
