2026 FIFA World Cup: Charlotte Chosen As Potential Host City

CHARLOTTE, NC – Charlotte has been chosen as a potential host city for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, the bid committee announced Thursday. The Queen City is among 32 sites in the running, including four cities in Canada and three in Mexico.

Representatives from the 32 candidate cities are slated to meet in Houston in mid-November to finalize potential bid paperwork, the committee said. (Get Patch real-time email alerts for the latest news in Charlotte — or other neighborhoods. And iPhone users: Check out Patch's new app.)

The governing panel said that it had received entreaties from 41 cities but narrowed its list based on places that were “more than capable of helping fulfill the shared vision and ambition of FIFA and the United Bid Committee.”

“As we move to the next stage of the bid process, we’re even more confident we have everything needed to deliver the largest, most compelling FIFA World Cup in history and help accelerate the growth of soccer across North America and around the world,” United Bid Chairman Sunil Gulati said in a statement. “We have more than double the number of cities required to stage matches in 2026. We have a vision for growing the game and engaging fans as never before.”

Cities that were cut from the list, including New Orleans, Cleveland and Birmingham, Alabama may still get a chance help out by hosting non-competition events, the committee said.

United States cities include: Atlanta; Baltimore; Boston; Charlotte, N.C; Chicago; Cincinnati; Dallas; Denver; Detroit; Houston; Las Vegas; Los Angeles; Kansas City, Missouri; Miami; Minneapolis; Nashville, New York/New Jersey metro area; Orlando, Philadelphia; Phoenix; Salt Lake City; San Francisco Bay Area; Seattle; Tampa; Washington, D.C.

Canadian cities: Edmonton, Alberta; Montreal; Toronto; Vancouver, British Columbia

Mexican cities: Guadalajara, Jalisco; Mexico City; Monterrey, Nuevo Leon

Patch Editor Craig Johnson contributed to this report.

Image via Pixabay

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