Nashville Officially Part Of 2026 World Cup Bid

NASHVILLE, TN -- Nashville made the final cut, along with 22 other North American cities, as part of a joint American-Canadian-Mexican bid to host the FIFA World Cup in 2026, the joint bid committee announced Thursday as it submitted its bid to soccer's governing body.

If FIFA then selects the NAFTA bid, a dozen or so cities will actually host games in the 2026 tournament, which will be the first with 48 teams. The joint bid is largely considered the front runner with Morocco submitting the only other bid.

Nashville was included in U.S. Soccer's bid to bring the World Cup to the United States in either 2018 or 2022. Ultimately, FIFA awarded the event to Russia and Qatar, respectively, in a process seen as rife with corruption and leading to the arrest of numerous international soccer power players and the ousting of FIFA's top leaders.

In addition to a stadium capable of hosting international soccer — requirements are a 40,000-seat facility for early-round matches and 80,000 for the final; Nissan Stadium would not be eligible for final round matches — each city was required to propose international-level training sites and locations for team base camps, and hotels for teams, staff and VIP's. The Bid Committee also evaluated cities on their commitment to sustainable event management, human rights, environmental protection, aspirations to develop soccer and the positive social impact they anticipate in the local community and beyond stemming from the event.

• Atlanta
• Baltimore
• Boston
• Cincinnati
• Dallas
• Denver
• Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
• Guadalajara, Mexico
• Houston
• Kansas City
• Los Angeles
• Mexico City
• Miami
• Monterrey, Mexico
• Montreal
• Nashville
• New York/New Jersey
• Orlando
• Philadelphia
• San Francisco Bay Area
• Seattle
• Toronto
• Washington DC

“The World Cup is as big as sporting events get,” Mayor David Briley said. “Nashville will be proud to host soccer teams, fans, and media from around the world in 2026. As Nashville SC gets ready to start its first United Soccer League season March 24 and we continue to prepare for Major League Soccer’s arrival, this announcement proves once again that Nashville is a diverse and welcoming place where soccer is thriving. We’ll be ready for our turn on the sport’s biggest stage in eight years. Thank you to everyone in the city who has worked so hard to put this plan together.”

Image via Shutterstock