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 .
Schedule
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
Bid committee
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]
Details of the bid
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.
Candidate venues
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 venue
1999 Women's World Cup final venue
CONCACAF 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 stadium
CONCACAF Gold Cup venue
Super Bowl I and
Super Bowl VII host
1959 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 roof
CONCACAF Gold Cup venue
2010 NBA All-Star Game venue
Super 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 stadium
Marlins moved
to their new ballpark and it was also host to
WWE 's
WrestleMania XXVIII in 2012
Super 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 Host
2006 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 hosts
WrestleMania 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 surface
CONCACAF Gold Cup venue
Super Bowl XLII hosts
WrestleMania 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 stadium
Super Bowl XXXIV &
Super Bowl XXVIII hosts
World 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 venue
CONCACAF 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 venue
MLS 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 venue
Super 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 roof
Super 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]
Rejected venues
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 hosts
WrestleMania 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.
August 2009 cut
The following stadiums were eliminated in an earlier cut in August 2009
Image
Stadium
Capacity
City
State
Surface
Home teams
Events Hosted
Legion Field
71,594
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 venue
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
Las Vegas Stadium
Proposed
[d]
Las Vegas
Nevada
Proposed
None
Proposed
June 2009 cut
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, 1985-1986
Houston Oilers 1965-1967
Super 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 †
Denied interest in hosting
[16]
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
Notes and references
^
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. 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 . 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 . 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 . 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 .
External links
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