World Cup 2026: North America To Host; Will Nashville Get Games?

NASHVILLE, TN -- As predicted, the combined North American bid won the rights to host soccer's 2026 World Cup Wednesday. FIFA, soccer's international governing body, voted at its annual congress in Moscow to send its premier tournament to the United States, Canada and Mexico, as the combined bid easily defeated Morocco's, the only other candidate. This year's tournament begins Thursday in Russia.

The 2026 tournament will be the first held in three different countries and the first with 48 teams as the field expands from its current 32. Under the North American proposal, 60 of the 80 games will be played in the U.S., with Canada and Mexico hosting 10 games apiece.

(For more updates on this story and free news alerts for your neighborhood, sign up for your local Middle Tennessee Patch morning newsletter.)

Nashville was one of 23 cities submitted to FIFA as potential host sites, from which a dozen or so will be chosen to actually host games.

Those 23 cities are:

• 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

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.

The United States last hosted the World Cup in 1994, before Nashville's It City period. Now, the Music City is a regular stop for the national team and has hosted Olympic and World Cup qualifiers and warm-up games, CONCACAF Gold Cup matches and international friendlies. The city's soccer profile got a big boost after the MLS awarded it an expansion franchise.

While Nashville and the other candidate cities wait for FIFA's final hosting decisions, city leaders sounded a positive note.

"This announcement is huge for soccer in the U.S. and maybe even bigger for soccer in Nashville," said Nashville Convention and Visitors Corporation President and CEO Butch Spyridon. "We are honored to be a part of the U.S. bid package, and we believe Nashville has a legitimate shot at hosting a World Cup event. In addition, it bolsters our future efforts to secure many other soccer events on an ongoing basis.”

Photo by Dan Mullan/Getty Images