Last weekend, many of us headed to our favorite sports bars to watch the exhilarating matches of the Copa América and European Championship. As we enjoyed the riveting games, it dawned on us that we’d have to wait for another two years for the next major soccer tournament.
Our anticipation now turns to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, which will be jointly hosted by the United States, Mexico, and Canada. The preliminary match schedule for all the host cities has been released, and it’s intriguing to note that Chicago seems to be noticeably absent from the list, despite being a major city.
So why didn’t Chicago make the 2026 FIFA World Cup?
The bid process for the 2026 World Cup took place in 2018, during Rahm Emanuel’s tenure as Chicago’s mayor. At that time, Matthew McGrath, a spokesperson for Mayor Rahm Emanuel, stated, “The decision not to pursue the bid was due to uncertainty for taxpayers, alongside FIFA’s inflexibility and unwillingness to negotiate, which indicated that further pursuit of the bid wasn’t in Chicago’s best interests.”
What U.S. cities are hosting the 2026 World Cup?
Eleven U.S. cities will host matches during the 2026 FIFA World Cup: Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, San Francisco/Bay Area and Seattle.
What other countries will host the 2026 World Cup?
Mexico and Canada will also join the U.S. in hosting the 2026 World Cup. Mexico has three hosts, Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey, and Canada has two hosts, Vancouver and Toronto.
When does the 2026 World Cup begin?
The 2026 World Cup will kick off on Thursday, June 11, 2026, and the final will take place on July 19, 2026.