FIFA will begin touring potential World Cup 2026 venues Sept. 15

FIFA will move one step closer to picking the venues for the 2026 World Cup when they begin touring facilities on Sept. 15. There are nine East Coast cities in this first batch, while Seattle will be among remaining venues in the U.S., Canada and Mexico that will be toured sometime later this year or early next year. FIFA will pick the host cities shortly thereafter.

There are currently 22 or 23 cities still in the running to be hosts, with 17 of them in the United States. The three Mexican cities — Guadalajara, Monterrey and Mexico City — are all expected to be chosen as hosts barring some unforeseen issues, as are the remaining Canadian cities of Edmonton, Alberta and Toronto. There’s also the possibility that Vancouver will re-enter the fray.

The intrigue is more with the U.S. part of the bid, where 17 cities are vying for 8-12 spots. Seattle is generally considered one of the favorites to be chosen due to our soccer culture, significant tourist infrastructure and availability of training fields. But the bid will likely be dinged for needing to import temporary grass and potentially for things like the amenities at Lumen Field, which is older than most of the other proposed venues.