FIFA wraps up inspection of potential 2026 World Cup venues

Toronto, November 23 (BNA): The International Football Association Board (FIFA), the governing body for world football, has ended field visits to potential venues for the 2026 World Cup to be hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico with a stop in Toronto on Monday. A decision on cities can be expected in April.

After inspection tours in 22 cities and 23 locations, the FIFA delegation will now present a report from which 16 hosts will be selected although FIFA’s head of tournaments and events Colin Smith indicated that the number was not written in stone, Reuters reports.

“When the bid was made, 16 was noted, and we took notice, but it’s ultimately up to FIFA,” Smith said, following a lunchtime media conference on the top floor of a downtown Toronto hotel overlooking Canada’s BMO Field National Stadium. . “We will conclude these visits and then we will decide the most appropriate number we need to host the tournament.

“We haven’t set the exact time (to announce the venue) yet, but I suspect it’s more likely April than March.

Toronto and Edmonton are the two Canadian cities vying for the matches while Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City are the favorites for Mexico.

As the 2026 World Cup expands to a record 48 teams, the joint bid calls for Canada and Mexico to get 10 matches while the rest goes to the United States.

Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, San Francisco Bay Area, Seattle and Washington, D.C. are potential US locations.

The FIFA delegation looked at everything from infrastructure to legacy projects to stadiums and training facilities.

“Overall, we were very pleased with the quality of the presentations,” Smith said. “It was a very competitive process, and one that will make our decision even more difficult.”

Vancouver, which hosts the 2015 Women’s World Cup final, showed its belated interest in participating in the World Cup matches, but Victor Montaliani, CONCACAF president and FIFA vice president, on Monday threw cold water on the proposal.

“I know the Prime Minister of British Columbia (John Horgan) has expressed some interest and that’s great,” said Montaliani, who was joined at the table by Smith, Toronto Mayor John Tory and Lisa MacLeod, Ontario’s Minister of Heritage, Sports, Tourism and Culture. “But now we’re dealing with the players we have, not the players who aren’t on the squad.”