Canada, Mexico, and the United States are bidding to host the 48-team 2026 FIFA World Cup. Cincinnati is among 18 cities in North America to make the short list to serve as a Host City for the world’s largest and most watched sporting event.
A delegation from FIFA World Cup will visit Cincinnati on Friday, October 22nd and take a closer look at our bid. Ohio Lt. Governor Jon Husted, Kentucky Governor Andy Beshear, and Indiana Governor Eric Holcomb will attend the bid briefing. We should know by early 2022 if we are selected. Cincinnati has a lot going for it:
- Location: Cincinnati is near 60% of the U.S. population by car or air travel.
- Fans: Cincinnati has a growing soccer fan base and a big youth soccer community.
- World class stadia: Paul Brown Stadium would host the matches, while team facilities are available at TQL Stadium, FC Cincinnati’s Mercy Health Training Complex, and local universities such as Mt. Saint Joseph, Northern Kentucky University, Xavier University, and the University of Cincinnati.
- Hotel rooms: There are more than 25,000 hotel rooms in the Cincinnati area with 3,000+ first-class rooms near Paul Brown Stadium.
Hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup could generate more than $5 billion in short-term economic activity and be put Cincinnati on the global map as a premier soccer and tourist destination.
Join the Street Festival at 2:00 pm and visit 2026Cincy.com for more on how you can support the 2026 Cincy bid. Follow along on Instagram and Facebook for the latest news on the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Government Strategies Group is proud to provide government relations and development services for FC Cincinnati as our region comes together for this bid.