The 2026 FIFA World Cup: A Historic Event Without Chicago

The 2026 FIFA World Cup marks a historic expansion in the world of soccer. For the first time, 48 national teams will compete across the United States, Canada, and Mexico. The event promises to be sizable, with 104 matches across 16 stadiums. In the previous 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar, only 64 games took place in eight venues.

The opening match features Mexico against South Africa at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City, set for Thursday, June 11. The tournament will conclude with the final on July 19 at MetLife Stadium in New Jersey.

Chicago’s Decision to Opt-Out

Despite the wide reach of host cities, one notable absence is Chicago. Home to iconic sports teams, Chicago chose not to participate as a host city for the World Cup. This decision traces back to former mayor Rahm Emanuel, who explained his reasoning in an interview with The Athletic.

“We were on the front end of the bad side and the back end of the good side,” Emanuel stated. He voiced concerns about treating Chicago taxpayers unfavorably when compared to other cities and states involved in hosting.

One specific issue was a clause in FIFA’s contract permitting the request for a dome over Soldier Field. Emanuel demanded its removal, arguing that this potential multi-million dollar project would unjustly impact taxpayers. FIFA’s refusal led to Chicago’s withdrawal from the bid.

Host City Requirements and Chicago’s Statement

FIFA set strict criteria for host cities, including stadium enhancements, security measures, transportation infrastructure, tax exemptions on ticket sales, large-scale fan festival areas, and commercial exclusion zones. For Chicago, the possibility of needing a dome at Soldier Field, at a substantial cost, became the breaking point.

Chicago officially stated that FIFA “could not provide a basic level of certainty on some major unknowns that put our city and taxpayers at risk.” They criticized FIFA’s inflexibility, suggesting that pursuing the bid further was not in the city’s best interests.

With Chicago stepping back, FIFA named other cities as hosts, including Atlanta, Boston, Dallas, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, New York/New Jersey, Philadelphia, and San Francisco.