FIFA Delegation To Tour FedExField, National Mall As DC Bids To Host 2026 World Cup Games

WASHINGTON, DC — FIFA officials will visit Washington, D.C., on Sunday, Sept. 19 as part of their tour of potential host cities for the 2026 men’s FIFA World Cup, which will be held in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.

The FIFA delegation will include Victor Montagliani, FIFA vice president and Concacaf president, and Colin Smith, FIFA chief tournaments and events officer.

FIFA launched its first venue visits on Wednesday of candidate host cities. Along with D.C., officials will tour Boston, Nashville, Atlanta, Orlando, Baltimore, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia and Miami.

In the D.C. area, the FIFA delegation will tour various sites where key events might be held, including FedExField in Prince George’s County, Maryland, and the National Mall.

During the FIFA site visit on Sunday, D.C. officials will show the delegation its vision for the 2026 FIFA FanFest, which would be located on the National Mall. If D.C. is chosen as a host city in 2026, the FanFest on the National Mall would coincide with America's celebration of its 250th birthday. City officials estimate there would be more than 1 million attendees.

When the U.S. hosted the 1994 men’s World Cup, RFK Stadium was one of nine venues across the country. RFK hosted four group stage games and was the site of the Round of 16 game between Spain and Switzerland. Brazil defeated Italy in the 1994 finals at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.

FedExField, then known as Jack Kent Cooke Stadium, hosted several matches of the 1999 women's FIFA World Cup. RFK Stadium was one of the six venues for the 2003 women's FIFA World Cup.

The 2022 men's World Cup is scheduled to be held in Qatar.