Yesterday they announced the venues that are under consideration for the 2026 North American World Cup bid (I have to still say "bid" because Morocco put in a last-minute bid, meaning the official awarding to the USA, Mexico and Canada won't just be a formality). The list includes 49 stadiums, a vast majority of which won't be selected.
We don't even know what the final number will ultimately be, but the 2026 World Cup will be the first with 48 teams, which will be divided into 16 groups. So, it seems to me like 16 is a good number to use. And, since Mexico and Canada are getting 10 games each, I'll figure two cities in each of those countries and 12 in the U.S.
I'll start with the two venues in Mexico since one is very obvious. Azteca in Mexico City will be chosen. It's an 80,000-seat stadium, the Mexican National Team plays all of its games there, and Mexico City is the largest city in North America. There's even some talk that Azteca could host the opening game, but with the United States hosting 75 percent of the tournament, I'd bet against that. You'd have to think the USA will get that "A1" spot and play in the opening game, which they should as the primary host.
The second Mexican city is where it gets interesting. They submitted Guadalajara and Monterrey as the other options. The stadium in Monterrey is bigger, but I'd be inclined to choose Guadalajara. It's a larger city, and its the home of Chivas, one of the most successful and popular clubs in Mexico. I'd be very surprised if Mexico City and Guadalajara weren't ultimately the two Mexican hosts.
Moving up North, nine venues in Canada were included in the submission. This includes six of the eight CFL stadiums (all but Hamilton and Montreal) and all three Canadian MLS stadiums (two of which are shared with a CFL team). However, I think it's the two venues that aren't home to either a CFL or MLS team that make the most sense. SkyDome in Toronto and Olympic Stadium in Montreal.
Toronto didn't host any games during the 2015 Women's World Cup because of the Pan Am Games, but that won't be an issue this time. Although, some sort of arrangement would have to be made with the Blue Jays in order to secure use of SkyDome for that long (or, probably, at all). Regardless, Toronto is the largest and most important city in Canada. They need to find a way, even if it means playing in the much smaller BMO Field, home of the Argonauts and Toronto FC.
If they can't figure it out and have to move on without Toronto, I'd figure you go with Vancouver or Edmonton. The 2015 Women's World Cup Final was in Vancouver, and BC Place has also served as an Olympic Stadium, which means it's plenty big enough. Although, with a number of NFL stadiums on the West Coast of the U.S. likely to be selected, do you want another West Coast city? Probably not. Which would likely give Edmonton the edge. The preference has to still be Toronto, though.
Everyone knows that Olympic Stadium in Montreal just sits there not doing anything, so it seems highly unlikely it wouldn't be chosen. Especially because at 61,000 seats, it's the largest stadium in Canada. Olympic Stadium in Montreal is almost as big of a lock as Azetca in Mexico City.
That leaves us with the 12 U.S. cities. Included in the bid were 29 of the 30 NFL stadiums (all but Buffalo, with Las Vegas instead of Oakland for the Raiders), as well as a couple of the larger college stadiums and an MLS stadium or two. And, of course, all three stadiums in LA (Coliseum, Rose Bowl AND Rams/Chargers Stadium).
Obviously, only one of the three LA stadiums will get the call, and will likely host the final. My guess is the Rose Bowl, for a number of reasons. First, it hosted the 1994 World Cup Final, and it seems only fitting to have the 2026 World Cup Final also take place at the Rose Bowl. Also, don't forget LA is hosting the 2028 Olympics. The Coliseum and Rams/Chargers Stadium are both going to figure prominently in the LA Olympics, while the Rose Bowl won't. So you make the Rose Bowl the center of attention two years earlier.
OK, so that's one. What about the other 11? Well, you'd have to think if a stadium hosted the Copa America Centenario, there's a pretty good chance it'll host the World Cup. That means you can bank on New York, Dallas, Chicago, San Francisco, Foxboro, Seattle, Washington and Philadelphia.
There's three left, and you'd have to think geographic diversity will come into play. Phoenix hosted games in the Copa America, is near the Mexican border (which is important for travel purposes), and is a fourth venue out West. I'd be surprised if Phoenix wasn't picked. Same thing with Houston. Gorgeous stadium that's hosted numerous Super Bowls in the sixth-largest city in the country.
Which leaves us with one final stadium, and the Southeast is the area of the country not yet represented, so the choice really comes down to Atlanta, Miami, Orlando and Tampa. The mid-summer humidity in Orlando likely takes it out of the equation. And Tampa's simply not as sexy as Miami or Atlanta. Your stadium in Miami is 30 years old and open-air. Meanwhile, Atlanta has a brand new, 75,000-seat, retractable roof, football/futbol palace. I think the choice is obvious.
So, my 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup are: Los Angeles (Rose Bowl), San Francisco, Seattle, Phoenix, New York, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Chicago, Dallas (AT&T Stadium), Houston, Atlanta, Mexico City, Guadalajara, Montreal and Toronto (SkyDome). And, here's the best part of the 16-group format...each group would play all of its games in the same city. No travel until the elimination games. Five games (three group games, two elimination games) in each stadium with the final being played at the Rose Bowl, just like in 1994.
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