Football tournament hosting bid
United States 2022 FIFA World Cup bid logo
The United States Soccer Federation submitted a bid[ 1] with the hope of hosting the 2022 FIFA World Cup . U.S. Soccer first said in February 2007 that it would put forth a bid for the 2018 World Cup.[ 1] On January 28, 2009, U.S. Soccer announced that it would submit bids for both the 2018 and 2022 Cups.[ 2] In October 2010 it withdrew from the 2018 bid process to focus on winning the 2022 edition.[ 3] On December 2, 2010, it was announced that Qatar would be the host of the 2022 FIFA World Cup.[ 4]
David Downs, president of Univision Sports, was executive director of the bid.[ 5] The United States previously hosted the FIFA World Cup in 1994 , as well as the FIFA Women's World Cup in 1999 and 2003 .
Date
Notes
January 15, 2009
Applications formally invited
February 2, 2009
Closing date for registering intention to bid
March 16, 2009
Deadline to submit completed bid registration forms
May 14, 2010
Deadline for submission of full details of bid
September 6–9, 2010
Inspection committee visits the United States[ 6]
December 2, 2010
FIFA to appoint hosts for 2018 and 2022 World Cups
U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati was the Bid Committee Chairman.
The American bid was being organized by USA Bid Committee, Inc.
The executive director of the bid was David Downs, CEO of Univision sports. Other members include U.S. Soccer President Sunil Gulati , Major League Soccer Commissioner Don Garber , Phil Murphy , the former national finance chair for the Democratic National Committee ,[ 7] former U.S. Secretary of State Dr. Henry Kissinger , New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg , California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger , Clinton adviser Douglas Band ,[ 8] film director Spike Lee ,[ 9] former boxer Oscar De La Hoya , and Washington Post .[ 10] [ 11]
United States 2022 FIFA World Cup bid (the United States)
In April 2009, the U.S. identified 70 stadiums in 50 communities as possible venues for the tournament, with 58 confirming their interest.[ 12] The list of stadiums was trimmed two months later to 38 existing venues, one scheduled for completion in 2010, and one proposed venue.[ 10] On August 20, 2009, the list was further trimmed down to 32 stadiums in 27 cities.[ 13] On January 12, 2010, the USA Bid Committee narrowed the 27 cities down to 18 as the official host cities for the United States' Bid for the 2018 or 2022 World Cup.[ 14]
Those 18 cities were: Atlanta , Baltimore , Boston , Dallas , Denver , Houston , Indianapolis , Kansas City , Los Angeles , Miami , Nashville , New York City , Philadelphia , Phoenix , San Diego , Seattle , Tampa and Washington, D.C. The 18 stadiums selected host NFL or NCAA American football games, with a capacity over 65,000 spectators. No soccer-specific stadium was selected, since none in the country has capacity for more than 30,000 spectators.
Image
Stadium
Capacity
City
State
Surface
Home teams
Notes
Rose Bowl
94,542
Pasadena (Host City: Los Angeles)
California
Grass
UCLA Bruins †Rose Bowl Game
1994 World Cup final venue1999 Women's World Cup final venueCONCACAF Gold Cup venue
Super Bowl XI , Super Bowl XIV , Super Bowl XVII , Super Bowl XXI , and Super Bowl XXVII Hosts Three BCS National Championship Games May be superseded by SoFi Stadium [ 15]
Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum
93,607
Los Angeles
California
Grass
USC Trojans †
1932 and 1984 Olympic stadiumCONCACAF Gold Cup venue
Super Bowl I and Super Bowl VII host1959 World Series May be superseded by SoFi Stadium [ 15]
AT&T Stadium *
91,600
Arlington (Host City: Dallas )
Texas
Matrix artificial turf
Cowboys Classic Dallas Cowboys †Cotton Bowl Classic Southwest Classic
Opened in 2009 Retractable roofCONCACAF Gold Cup venue
2010 NBA All-Star Game venueSuper Bowl XLV in 2011
Wrestlemania 32 in 2016
FedExField
91,704
Landover (Host City: Washington, D.C.)
Maryland
Grass
Washington Redskins †
1999 Women's World Cup venue
MetLife Stadium *
82,566
East Rutherford (Host City: New York City)
New Jersey
FieldTurf
New York Giants †
New York Jets †
Opened in 2010 Hosted Super Bowl XLVIII Wrestlemania XXIX
Sun Life Stadium *
80,240
Miami Gardens (Host City: Miami )
Florida
Grass
Miami Dolphins †Miami Hurricanes †Orange Bowl
Multi-purpose stadiumMarlins moved to their new ballpark and it was also host to WWE 's WrestleMania XXVIII in 2012Super Bowl XXIII , Super Bowl XXIX , Super Bowl XXXIII , Super Bowl XLI , and Super Bowl XLIV hosts Three BCS National Championship Games
Reliant Stadium *
76,000
Houston
Texas
Grass
Houston Texans †Texas Bowl
CONCACAF Gold Cup venue, 2010 MLS All-Star Game host, WrestleMania XXV hosts, NCAA Final Four 2011 & 2016 host, Super Bowl XXXVIII host, Retractable roof
Arrowhead Stadium *
75,364
Kansas City
Missouri
Grass
Kansas City Chiefs †
Invesco Field at Mile High
75,165
Denver
Colorado
Grass
Denver Broncos †
2008 Democratic National Convention Host2006 National Football League AFC Championship Game
Raymond James Stadium
75,000
Tampa
Florida
Grass
Tampa Bay Buccaneers †South Florida Bulls †Outback Bowl
Olympic qualifying venue.
Super Bowl XXXV and Super Bowl XLIII hostsWrestleMania 36 original host
Gillette Stadium *
73,393
Foxborough (Host City: Boston )
Massachusetts
FieldTurf
New England Patriots †New England Revolution
NCAA Men's Lacrosse Championship in 2008 and 2009, 2003 FIFA Women's World Cup venue, and the MLS Cup 2002
Husky Stadium
72,500
Seattle
Washington
FieldTurf
Washington Huskies †
Renovation completed in 2013. Track was removed but capacity decreased from 72,500 to 70,138. 1990 Goodwill Games track and field events.
University of Phoenix Stadium
71,362
Glendale (Host City: Phoenix )
Arizona
Grass
Arizona Cardinals †Fiesta Bowl
Retractable roof and playing surfaceCONCACAF Gold Cup venueSuper Bowl XLII hostsWrestleMania XXVI hosts Three BCS National Championship Games
Georgia Dome
71,228
Atlanta
Georgia
FieldTurf & able to install grass.
Atlanta Falcons †Georgia State Panthers †Chick-fil-A Bowl
Indoor stadiumSuper Bowl XXXIV & Super Bowl XXVIII hostsWorld Football Challenge hosts Indoor Stadium, DCI Atlanta Southeastern Championship 1996 Summer Olympics World Football Challenge WrestleMania XXVII hosts Demolished in 2017 following the opening of Mercedes-Benz Stadium
M&T Bank Stadium
71,008
Baltimore
Maryland
Sportexe Momentum Turf
Baltimore Ravens †
Only stadium to sell out their World Football Challenge game
Lincoln Financial Field *
69,111
Philadelphia
Pennsylvania
Grass
Philadelphia Eagles †Temple Owls †Army-Navy Game
2003 Women's World Cup venueCONCACAF Gold Cup venue.
LP Field
69,143
Nashville
Tennessee
Grass
Tennessee Titans †Tennessee State Tigers †Music City Bowl
Olympic qualifying venue
CenturyLink Field *
68,056
Seattle
Washington
FieldTurf
Seattle Seahawks †Seattle Sounders FC
CONCACAF Gold Cup venueMLS Cup 2009 venue, Highest home attendance in MLS
Qualcomm Stadium
67,700
San Diego
California
Grass
San Diego Chargers †Holiday Bowl Poinsettia Bowl
CONCACAF Gold Cup venueSuper Bowl XXII , Super Bowl XXXII , and Super Bowl XXXVII Hosts Demolished in 2021 and replaced by Snapdragon Stadium
Lucas Oil Stadium
66,500
Indianapolis
Indiana
FieldTurf
Indianapolis Colts †
Built in 2008 Retractable roofSuper Bowl XLVI in 2012, NCAA men's basketball Final Four in 2010 and 2015 , NCAA women's basketball Final Four in 2016 , DCI World Championship Finals Since 2009 NCAA men's basketball final in 2021
* – Stadium that would go on to be used in the 2026 FIFA World Cup
† – American football team.
Although sponsored stadium names are listed in this article, they were not used in the actual bid documents, and would not be used during the World Cup. FIFA controls all naming rights related to the World Cup, and generally prohibits the use of such names. Even stadiums that bear the names of FIFA sponsors are subject to this restriction—the venue then known commercially as Coca-Cola Park in Johannesburg was known by its non-commercial name of Ellis Park Stadium during the 2010 World Cup , even though The Coca-Cola Company is one of FIFA's main sponsors.
Capacities listed are estimated capacity for the FIFA World Cup.[ 14]
The following venues were considered as possible candidate venues but were not chosen to be included in the final bid.[ 14]
Image
Stadium
Capacity
City
State
Surface
Home teams
Notes
Michigan Stadium
109,901
Ann Arbor
Michigan
Artificial
Michigan Wolverines †
Largest non-motorsports stadium in the country, and third-largest non-racing stadium in the world.
Jacksonville Municipal Stadium [ a]
77,000
Jacksonville
Florida
Grass
Jacksonville Jaguars †Gator Bowl
Super Bowl XXXIX hosts
Bank of America Stadium
73,500
Charlotte
North Carolina
Grass
Carolina Panthers †Belk Bowl ACC Championship Game
1999 and 2000 NCAA Men's Soccer Championship venue, 2014 and 2015 International Champions Cup , 2015 CONCACAF Gold Cup
Cleveland Browns Stadium [ b]
73,200
Cleveland
Ohio
Grass
Cleveland Browns †
Hosted International Matches
Edward Jones Dome [ c]
67,268
St. Louis
Missouri
FieldTurf
St. Louis Rams [ d]
Indoor stadium
Ford Field
67,188
Detroit
Michigan
FieldTurf
Detroit Lions †Little Caesars Pizza Bowl [ e]
Super Bowl XL hostsWrestleMania 23 hosts Indoor stadium
Citrus Bowl [ f]
65,616
Orlando
Florida
Grass
Florida Tuskers †Capital One Bowl [ g] Champs Sports Bowl [ h]
1994 FIFA World Cup , 1996 Olympics and WrestleMania XXIV venue.
O.co Coliseum [ i]
63,026
Oakland
California
Grass
Oakland Raiders †Oakland A's ‡
Multi-purpose stadium.
Soldier Field
61,000
Chicago
Illinois
Grass
Chicago Bears †
1994 FIFA World Cup venue.
Stanford Stadium
50,500
Palo Alto
California
Grass
Stanford Cardinal †
Rebuilt 1984 Olympics ,1994 FIFA World Cup and 1999 Women's World Cup venue
RFK Stadium
45,600
Washington
District of Columbia
Grass
D.C. United [ j] EagleBank Bowl [ k]
1994 FIFA World Cup and 1996 Olympics venue
^ Now known as TIAA Bank Field.
^ Now known as FirstEnergy Stadium.
^ Now known as The Dome at America's Center.
^ The Rams returned to their previous home of Los Angeles after the 2015 NFL season, and the stadium has had no major sports tenant since then.
^ The Little Caesars Pizza Bowl folded after its 2013 edition and was replaced by the Quick Lane Bowl , also held at Ford Field.
^ Now known as Camping World Stadium.
^ Now known as the Citrus Bowl.
^ Now known as the Camping World Bowl.
^ Now known by its historic name of Oakland–Alameda County Coliseum.
^ D.C. United moved to Audi Field , also in Washington, in 2018.
^ Now known as the Military Bowl, and played at Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland since 2013.
The following stadiums were eliminated in an earlier cut in August 2009
Image
Stadium
Capacity
City
State
Surface
Home teams
Events Hosted
Legion Field
71,863
Birmingham
Alabama
Artificial
UAB Blazers †Papajohns.com Bowl [ a]
1996 Olympics
Ohio Stadium
102,329
Columbus
Ohio
Artificial
Ohio State Buckeyes †
On National Register of Historic Places
Neyland Stadium
102,455
Knoxville
Tennessee
Grass
Tennessee Volunteers †
Ranked as America's No. 1 college football stadium by The Sporting News in 2001
Metrodome
64,111
Minneapolis
Minnesota
Artificial
Minnesota Vikings †
1985 MLB All-Star Game Super Bowl XXVI 1992 and 2001 Final Four 1987 and 1991 World Series venue. Demolished in 2014 and replaced on-site in 2016 by U.S. Bank Stadium .
TCF Bank Stadium
50,805
Minneapolis
Minnesota
Artificial
Minnesota Golden Gophers †[ b]
One of three new Minneapolis stadiums (along with Target Field and U.S. Bank Stadium)
Sun Devil Stadium
73,379
Tempe
Arizona
Grass
Arizona State Sun Devils †Insight Bowl [ c]
Super Bowl XXX former Fiesta Bowl venue
Heinz Field
65,050
Pittsburgh
Pennsylvania
Grass
Pittsburgh Steelers †Pittsburgh Panthers †
2011 NHL Winter Classic
Rice-Eccles Stadium
45,017
Salt Lake City
Utah
Artificial
Utah Utes †
2002 Winter Olympics opening/closing venue
Alamodome
65,000
San Antonio
Texas
Artificial
Alamo Bowl Later became home to UTSA Roadrunners †
1998 , 2004 and 2008 Final Four venueU.S. Army All-American Bowl
Las Vegas Stadium
Proposed[ d]
Las Vegas
Nevada
Proposed
None
Proposed
The following stadiums were eliminated in an earlier cut in June 2009
Image
Stadium
Capacity
City
State
Surface
Home teams
Events Hosted
California Memorial Stadium
71,799
Berkeley
California
Artificial
California Golden Bears †
Ralph Wilson Stadium
73,079
Orchard Park
New York
Artificial
Buffalo Bills †
2008 NHL Winter Classic
Memorial Stadium (Champaign)
62,870
Champaign
Illinois
Artificial
Illinois Fighting Illini †
Hone of the Chicago Bears in 2002 while Soldier Field was being renovated
Paul Brown Stadium
65,515
Cincinnati
Ohio
Artificial
Cincinnati Bengals †
Proposed for use in the 2026 World Cup bid
Memorial Stadium (Clemson)
81,500
Clemson
South Carolina
Grass
Clemson Tigers †
Home of Carolina Panthers in their inaugural 1995 season
Faurot Field
71,004
Columbia
Missouri
Artificial
Missouri Tigers †
Third-largest sports facility by seating capacity in the state of Missouri, behind The Dome at America's Center in St. Louis and Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City.
Williams-Brice Stadium
80,250
Columbia
South Carolina
Grass
South Carolina Gamecocks †
In 1987, Pope John Paul II , during a Papal visit to Columbia, spoke in front of 60,000 people at the stadium.
Donald W. Reynolds Razorback Stadium
72,000
Fayetteville
Arkansas
Grass
Arkansas Razorbacks †
Ben Hill Griffin Stadium
88,548
Gainesville
Florida
Grass
Florida Gators †
1973 Tangerine Bowl and 1994 Gator Bowl venue
Lambeau Field
72,928
Green Bay
Wisconsin
Grass
Green Bay Packers †
Frozen Tundra Hockey Classic
Rice Stadium
70,000
Houston
Texas
Artificial
Rice Owls †
Bluebonnet Bowl 1959-1967, 1985-1986Houston Oilers 1965-1967Super Bowl VIII
Kinnick Stadium
70,585
Iowa City
Iowa
Artificial
Iowa Hawkeyes †
Camp Randall Stadium
80,321
Madison
Wisconsin
Artificial
Wisconsin Badgers †
Culver's Camp Randall Hockey Classic 12 Green Bay Packers exhibition games
Commonwealth Stadium
67,942
Lexington
Kentucky
Grass
Kentucky Wildcats †
Sanford Stadium , Athens, Georgia ; 1996 Summer Olympics soccer venue
Jordan–Hare Stadium , Auburn, Alabama
Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium , Austin, Texas
Tiger Stadium , Baton Rouge, Louisiana
Lane Stadium , Blacksburg, Virginia
Kyle Field , College Station, Texas
Spartan Stadium , East Lansing, Michigan
Memorial Stadium , Lincoln, Nebraska
LaVell Edwards Stadium , Provo, Utah
Notre Dame Stadium , South Bend, Indiana
Beaver Stadium , State College, Pennsylvania
Bryant–Denny Stadium , Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Official bid partners [ edit ]
Notes and references [ edit ]
^ a b Goff, Steven (February 20, 2007). "U.S. to Seek World Cup" . The Washington Post . Retrieved October 28, 2007 .
^ "U.S. to bid for 2018 and 2022 World Cups" . ESPNsoccernet . Chicago. Associated Press. January 29, 2009. Archived from the original on January 31, 2009. Retrieved January 29, 2009 .
^ "US withdraw bid to host 2018 World Cup" . BBC Sport . October 15, 2010.
^ "2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cup Hosts Announced" . BBC News . December 2, 2010. Retrieved December 2, 2010 .
^ Goff, Steve (February 2, 2009). "USA in '18 (or '22)" . The Washington Post . Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved September 4, 2009 .
^ "FIFA receives bidding documents for 2018 and 2022 FIFA World Cups" (Press release). FIFA.com. May 14, 2010. Archived from the original on July 29, 2010. Retrieved July 31, 2010 .
^ Goff, Steve (February 2, 2009). "USA in '18 (or '22)" . The Washington Post . Archived from the original on May 4, 2011. Retrieved February 4, 2009 .
^ "Counselor To President Clinton, Douglas Band, Joins Team To Bring FIFA World Cup To United States in 2018 or 2022" . U.S. Soccer . April 8, 2010. Retrieved July 27, 2010 .
^ "Spike Lee joins US World Cup bid committee" . USA Today . January 4, 2010. Retrieved May 26, 2010 .
^ a b "USA Bid Committee Issues Requests For Proposals to 37 Potential FIFA World Cup Host Cities For 2018 or 2022" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. June 16, 2009. Archived from the original on June 19, 2009. Retrieved June 18, 2009 .
^ Goff, Steven (November 2, 2009). "Weymouth Joins Cup Effort" . The Washington Post . Archived from the original on June 30, 2012. Retrieved November 2, 2009 .
^ "USA Bid Committee Receives Confirmation From 58 Venues Interested in Holding FIFA World Cup Matches in 2018 or 2022" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. April 23, 2009. Retrieved April 24, 2009 .
^ "USA Bid Committee Announces List of 27 Cities Still in Contention For Inclusion in U.S. Bid to Host FIFA World Cup in 2018 or 2022" (Press release). United States Soccer Federation. August 20, 2009. Archived from the original on September 26, 2009. Retrieved August 20, 2009 .
^ a b c "Bid Committee announces official bid cities" (Press release). The USA Bid Committee. January 12, 2010. Archived from the original on January 23, 2010. Retrieved January 12, 2010 .
^ a b Developers of LA's proposed NFL stadium expand plans to lure World Cup Archived November 18, 2010, at the Wayback Machine , Developers of LA's proposed NFL stadium expand plans to lure World Cup
^ "58 US venues interested in holding FIFA World Cup matches in 2018 or 2022 | Blog | Go USA Bid" . www.gousabid.com . Archived from the original on September 2, 2009. Retrieved January 15, 2022 .
Notes: Bold entries are those chosen as hosts
† Event cancelled by World War II
‡ Colombia withdrew after being awarded the event, which was re-awarded to Mexico