Los Angeles Moves Closer to Being Selected as an Official Host City of 2026 FIFA World Cup™
The United Bid of Canada, Mexico, and the United States was selected to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ earlier today by the 68th FIFA Congress in Moscow. For the first time in history, FIFA's Member Associations were given the opportunity to vote on the host for the FIFA World Cup™. They did so by a vote of 134-65.
"We are honored FIFA awarded the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ to the United Bid and even prouder that Los Angeles is among the 23 Candidate Host Cities that have the demonstrated history and ability to stage the world's largest sporting event," said Alan Rothenberg, Managing Member of the Los Angeles World Cup 2026 Host Committee. "Los Angeles is excited about the opportunity to welcome an inclusive celebration of soccer that is the FIFA World Cup™ back to our city and are fully committed to working with the United Bid and FIFA to ensure the fans, players, and officials have a truly spectacular experience at the largest FIFA World Cup™ in history."
As stated by Los Angeles Mayor Eric Garcetti: “Los Angeles is the world’s greatest sports town — and it embodies the diversity, inclusion, and spirit of international cooperation that the World Cup represents. We can’t wait to show FIFA and the United Bid committee that L.A. is the perfect place to bring the world’s soccer fans together.”
The Los Angeles bid to become a Host City was submitted by the Los Angeles Sports & Entertainment Commission in collaboration with AEG and LA Galaxy, Los Angeles Stadium and Entertainment District at Hollywood Park, Rose Bowl Legacy Foundation, Banc of California Stadium and Los Angeles Football Club, and Alan Rothenberg, with support from the City of Los Angeles, City of Inglewood and the City of Pasadena.
Ernest Wooden, Jr., President and CEO of the Los Angeles Tourism & Convention Board: "Mega events like FIFA World Cup™ deliver resounding benefits to Los Angeles as they drive our local economy forward, support the betterment of the community, and elevate the stature of our destination, globally. In particular, hosting the FIFA World Cup™ will be especially beneficial in influencing future visitor intent as soccer is an incredibly popular sport in several of our key international markets. We look forward to the opportunity of being selected as an official Host City when FIFA makes the final selection of 16 Host Cities sometime in 2020 or 2021."
Today's vote, which occurred a day before the start of the 2018 FIFA World Cup™ in Russia, also marks the first time three nations have been selected to co-host a FIFA World Cup™ and the first time the FIFA World Cup™ will be played in North America in 32 years. The United Bid offers FIFA and its 211 Member Associations unity, certainty, and opportunity as they prepare to host the largest FIFA World Cup™ in history, which will be expanded to a 48-team format.
With the FIFA Congress decision to award the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ to the football federations of Canada, Mexico, and the United States, the three nations will jointly manage preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ until FIFA establishes their operations to manage the competition. Among other decisions, FIFA will make the final selection of host cities for the 2026 competition from the 23 candidates proposed in the United Bid.
"Hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ is a rare and important moment to demonstrate that we are all truly united through sport," said Carlos Cordeiro, President of U.S. Soccer and Co-Chair of the United Bid. ‘We are humbled by the trust our colleagues in the FIFA family have put in our bid; strengthened by the unity between our three countries and the CONCACAF region; and excited by the opportunity we have to put football on a new and sustainable path for generations to come."
