By Jonathan Tannenwald, Philadelphia Inquirer Jun 16, 2022, at 5:53 pm
Just after 5:30 p.m. Thursday, Philadelphia’s place in the sports world changed forever.
After many years of waiting, the city for the first time officially became a host of a men’s soccer World Cup, the planet’s biggest and most famous sports event.
In 2026, Philadelphia will be among a group of co-hosts of a sporting spectacle: 48 national teams combining to play 80 games across the United States, Canada, and Mexico.
The other host cities will be Toronto and Vancouver in Canada; Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, San Francisco (Santa Clara, really), and Seattle in the United States; and Guadalajara, Mexico City, and Monterrey in Mexico.
Boston’s bid was the surprise inclusion. Washington’s joint bid with Baltimore was the most surprising exclusion. Cincinnati, Denver, Edmonton, Orlando, and Nashville also missed the cut.
MetLife Stadium to host 2026 World Cup soccer games (nj.com)
The U.S. cities hosting the 2026 World Cup (NPR)
Seattle one of 10 US cities to host 2026 World Cup (Seattle Times)
The announcement was made by FIFA, world soccer’s governing body, during a TV show broadcast from Manhattan to the world. Hershey’s Christian Pulisic, the biggest star of the U.S. men’s team, was part of the show. And there were jubilant celebrations by a crowd at LOVE Park in Center City that included fans, local youth players, and representatives from the city, the Eagles, and the Union.
Among them was Union captain Alejandro Bedoya, who played for the United States at the 2014 men’s World Cup. Some of his current and former colleagues — including Pulisic, Downingtown’s Zack Steffen, and Medford’s Brenden and Paxten Aaronson — could play in the 2026 tournament. Pulisic, Steffen, and Brenden Aaronson are on course to play in this fall’s edition in Qatar, and they star for some of the world’s most famous club teams.
They’re all familiar with a chant popularized by Union fans, then adopted by the Eagles, that was taken from English soccer fan culture: “No one likes us, we don’t care.” Those words have been proven false. The world’s most popular sport likes Philadelphia very much.
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