ATLANTA: After being slowed down by the pandemic, the race among 17 US cities to land the iconic venue that will host the 2026 World Cup has resumed.
Two FIFA inspectors were on Friday to take a look at the 72,000-seat Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, which is home to a record-setting Major League Soccer team and the centerpiece of the city’s bid.
FIFA vice-president Victor Montagliani, who also heads the regional governing body CONCACAF, joked that Atlanta is now a football city, as is the case with real football that is played globally.
Atlanta is counting on its retractable-roof stadium, which opened in 2017, and history of staging everything from the Summer Olympics to the Super Bowl, which is arguably the biggest worldwide spectacle of them all.
Montagliani and FIFA Chief Tournament and Events Officer Colin Smith have already visited Boston and Nashville. Over the next week, they plan to stop in Orlando, Washington, DC, Baltimore, New York City, Philadelphia, and Miami.
Over the next two months, FIFA will contest its site tours for the remaining US finalists: Los Angeles, San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Kansas City, Houston, Dallas and Cincinnati.
The United States won the hosting rights along with Mexico and Canada in the first World Cup to be held in three countries. Site visits were delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing the final decision on host cities to be withdrawn in early 2022.
There is not much venue suspense in neighboring countries.
Mexico placed the three cities, Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara, which are expected to host. Canada also submitted three cities, but Montreal recently pulled out after the provincial government refused to take on the rising costs. This left Toronto and Edmonton as sites in that country.
It is not known how many US cities will be selected. The consensus was 10 before Montreal withdrew, which could have opened a run for the 11th pick.
There are no stipulations as to how many we are actually going to have in each country, Montagliani said. At the end of the day, we are going to make the best decision for the World Cup, whatever the number.
Mercedes-Benz Stadium is one of several US candidates that will need to replace artificial turf with a grass surface for the duration of the World Cup. According to Smith, this won’t be an issue.
He said that there is a lot of technology available these days. We just have to fix it.
Atlanta is expected to benefit from the compact footprint around the Mercedes-Benz stadium. Unlike potential destinations such as Dallas, Washington, Boston, and San Francisco, which have suburban stadiums, Mercedes-Benz is just a few blocks from downtown and part of a complex that also includes Centennial Olympic Park, the State Farm Arena, and the sprawling Georgia World. Congress Center.
It just creates an atmosphere, said Darren Ailes, president of MLS club Atlanta United, who was part of the city’s delegation on Friday. I think the most memorable World Cups in the past have been in cities where you have that stadium.”
Taking a jibe at competitors like Boston and Dallas, Els said, you’re in the middle of nowhere. Nothing is going on around those sites.
A fan festival will likely be held at Centennial Olympic Park, while the world’s largest convention center is being earmarked as the venue for an international broadcast center that will serve media from around the world.
One potential hurdle: a new Georgia voting law that opponents have described as overly restrictive and discriminatory towards people of color. In a surprise move, Major League Baseball pulled this year’s All-Star Game out of Atlanta after the measure was approved.
Like their counterparts in the International Olympic Committee, FIFA officials never looked concerned about the politics of the host city or country.
Ailes brushed off the issue with a nervous laugh, saying that if FIFA makes this decision looking at Atlanta’s overall package relative to other cities, I very much expect Atlanta to be selected.
Atlanta United has garnered a lot of attention for its record-setting crowd since the team joined MLS in 2017.
The club holds nearly every attendance record in the MLS, including a season average (53,002) as well as a number of individual crowds of over 70,000. International friendships have also been a good show in Atlanta.
It’s like the cherry on top of the cake, Els said. It is undoubtedly one of the top cities for football in North America.”
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Follow Paul Newberry on Twitter at https://twitter.com/pnewberry1963 and his work can be found at https://apnews.com/search/paulnewberry.
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