New York City Could Host World Cup Games In 2026

NEW YORK CITY — New Yorkers could get the chance to see the world's best soccer players compete in 2026 should the United States, Mexico and Canada win a united bid to host the World Cup.

Officials with the The United Bid Committee of Canada, Mexico and the United States announced that they’d begun outreach efforts to potential host cities worldwide, and sent Requests for Information or RFIs to 44 cities across the three nations. New York City and New Jersey were identified as a potential host, according to the announcement.

Should the New York City region play host to World Cup games, they will likely be held in East Rutherford, New Jersey's, MetLife Stadium. The football field, home to the New York Jets and New York Giants, has a capacity of 82,500.

(For more news about your NYC neighborhood, subscribe to Patch to get a daily newsletter and breaking news alerts.)

"The Host Cities included in our bid will be critical to its success — not only because of their facilities and ability to stage major events, but because they are committed to further developing the sport of soccer by harnessing the impact of hosting a FIFA World Cup — and looking beyond the game itself to make a positive contribution to our communities and the world," United Bid Committee Executive Director John Kristick said in a statement. "We have had a great response so far and we’re looking forward to working closely with each city and determining the best venues for our official bid that we’ll submit next year."

The United Bid Committee will submit its official bid to host the World Cup in early 2018. Of the 44 cities identified as potential hosts, only 20-25 will be included in the official bid, officials announced.

Photo by LI-Aerial/Getty Images Sport/Getty Images