22 Other Cities Join, Baltimore in Final Bid Submission to FIFA; United Bid Projects 5.8 Million Tickets to be Sold in 2026, Generating $2.1 Billion in Revenue.
15 March 2018 – Baltimore, MD – Baltimore has been included as an official Candidate Host City in the United Bid of Canada, Mexico, and the United States to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. The United Bid announced its list of 23 Candidate Host Cities that will be included in the Bid Book earlier today.
Baltimore, MD is part of the most comprehensive and far-reaching hosting strategy ever developed for a mega-sporting event. Baltimore is thrilled at possibility of welcoming the world to a united and inclusive celebration of football in M&T Bank Stadium, offering an advanced and existing stage on which the world’s best players will compete.
The full list of Candidate Host Cities can be found below. If the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ is awarded to the United Bid, FIFA will select up to 16 Host Cities from the proposed slate of 23.
“Canada, Mexico, and the United States have joined together to deliver a United Bid that offers FIFA and its member associations the power of unity, the promise of certainty, and the potential of extraordinary opportunity,” said John Kristick, Executive Director of the United Bid. “We are confident that the combination of our 23 existing world-class stadiums, 150 existing elite training facilities, and our modern and interconnected transportation network can help FIFA to achieve new records for attendance and revenue which will allow the entire global football community to improve and grow.”
“We are thrilled Baltimore City has been chosen as an official candidate to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup™,” said Maryland Lt. Governor Boyd K. Rutherford, who serves as an Honorary Chair of the Baltimore, Maryland Host Committee. “As a longtime soccer fan, I am hopeful about the prospect of welcoming soccer fans and players around the world to our great state and we look forward to continuing in this process.”
Canada, Mexico, and the United States require no new stadium construction to stage the 2026 FIFA World Cup™. Baltimore, Md., along with the United Bid, will instead be able to work with FIFA to ensure the players, officials, and fans have an extraordinary experience at the largest FIFA World Cup™ ever staged.
Across every metric, the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ in North America has the potential to deliver something extraordinary for Baltimore, North American, FIFA, and for football.
The United Bid’s final Candidate Host Cities are:
Canada:
· Edmonton
· Montréal
· Toronto
Mexico:
· Guadalajara
· Mexico City
· Monterrey
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
· Washington DC
The United Bid Committee was created by the National Federations of Canada, Mexico and the United States to manage the bidding process for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup™ will be the first tournament with the expanded 48-team format and will require world-class facilities and infrastructure to ensure a successful tournament. The United Bid of Canada, Mexico and the United States is uniquely suited to accommodate FIFA’s high-level standards for hosting a FIFA World Cup™. If the United Bid is selected by FIFA as the host for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™, up to 16 Host Cities will be selected as venues for games. Canada, Mexico and the United States also have a long and successful history as hosts – 13 FIFA World Cups™ have been hosted in Canada, Mexico and the United States, five of which have set attendance records.
