Cities prepare for ‘quite epic’ World Cup next year
Joel Villanueva via Getty Images
By
Chris Teale
The tournament will bring millions of fans and 48 teams to 11 cities in the U.S. It makes for a lot of logistical headaches, but leaders said they will be ready and will build a legacy.
NEW YORK CITY — In a little over 400 days, the world’s largest sporting event — the FIFA World Cup — will descend on the United States, and while cities are bracing for impact, they hope it will leave a positive legacy.
Eleven U.S. cities will host dozens of games in 2026, in addition to several cities in Canada and Mexico, and they are preparing for thousands of fans to descend not just for the matches but for the Fan Festivals and other events that go along with the tournament.
It presents several logistical headaches for cities in areas like public safety and transportation, as they navigate a six-week, 48-team tournament, the biggest played in its history. But the World Cup visiting these shores for the first time since 1994 also poses longer-term questions about what legacy the tournament will leave, years after the final is played at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on July 19.
It will be a challenge, but a slew of city leaders promised to be ready at the Smart City Expo USA conference in New York City last week.
“It’s going to be quite epic, but in a positive way,” said Chris Canetti, president of the Houston 2026 Host Committee, noting that glut of matches and fans means the city will essentially be hosting “Seven Super Bowls in 20 days.”
Meg Kane, host city executive and CEO of the Philadelphia Soccer 2026 organizing committee, said it all makes for a “really intriguing time,” especially as the city will host other events — including March Madness, the MLB All-Star Game and United States Semiquincentennial celebrations.
“It's a very full year for the city of Philadelphia, as well as the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania,” she said.
For the next 450-plus days before the tournament starts, cities will be frantically planning alongside state and federal agencies for the influx of people. Public safety will be crucial, speakers said, as it will be imperative to make sure that no harm comes to anybody as they navigate stadiums and the surrounding area.
Dallas, which is set to host nine matches as well as the International Broadcast Center for the world’s media, is looking to plan for every eventuality in safety and transportation on a regional basis, given the size of its metropolitan area and the numerous communities within it.
“We're really trying to look at it from a programming standpoint … how can we unite and create the programming that maybe we should have been doing already,” said Monica Paul, president of the Dallas/North Texas FWC Organizing Committee. “This World Cup should give us a great opportunity across those different cities to share information and grow as a region together.”
Recent major event hosts in the U.S. said it is not possible to plan too much. New Orleans, for example, hosted the most recent Super Bowl and then weeks later held its annual Mardi Gras celebrations, all while still recovering from a terrorist attack.
“It really is about preparing for every scenario that could come about, and understanding what our priorities would be in that very scenario and what would be most essential to supporting our residents, to the success of that event, and then keeping everyone in our in our community safe,” New Orleans Chief Information Officer Kimberly LaGrue said during a separate panel discussion.
Engaging with residents early will also help major events go smoothly, especially as their lives will be disrupted in a big way. The recent Olympic and Paralympic Games in Paris offer some insight, as residents were invited to get involved in any way they could, whether that be through volunteering, employment or special participatory events like the Marathon for All. Spectators could also watch various road races for free, while schools held Olympic Week to get young people interested.
“The idea here was to engage,” Étienne Thobois, director general of the Paris Organizing Committee for the Olympics and Paralympics. “If you wanted to be a part of these Games, you could, even remotely.”
Technology will also play a role. Thobois said Paris and private sector partners laid 384,000 kilometers of fiber that is now available for future use, while the city also created a digital twin of all its facilities and streets to help plan for security, camera placement and various other scenarios.
Alex Lasry, CEO of the FIFA World Cup 26 New York New Jersey organizing committee, said the impending tournament has brought an “urgency” to infrastructure improvements. And those that already have a long heritage of embracing new technologies are looking to maintain that stature.
“There is an expectation when you come into the Bay that you will see the future,” said Zaileen Janmohamed, CEO of the San Francisco Bay Area Host Committee. “We are leaning into that.”
One of the most complex pieces of hosting a major tournament is its legacy after the fans have left and the games have ended. Some World Cups and Olympic Games have been criticized previously for not doing enough to leave a legacy on their cities. Moves are afoot to try and prevent that on these shores.
Kane said Philadelphia’s Lemon Hill Park will host Fan Festivals during the tournament, with around 25,000 people expected to flock there. That 104-acre park has been “underinvested in” despite its crucial location near 13 neighborhoods, she said, but upgrades for the World Cup should help make it better for future users.
“The goal is that after the World Cup and after the FIFA Fan Festival is brought down, that we will invest further in leaving the park better than what it was previously,” Kane said.
The biggest legacy, Lasry said, should be this World Cup proving that the United States is capable of repeatedly hosting enormous international tournaments and events. With the Olympic and Paralympic Games in Los Angeles on the horizon in 2028 and more events to follow, this World Cup will be an excellent proving ground.
“When people look at the World Cup in the United States, they're going to say this was the biggest and best World Cup that they've ever seen,” Lasry said. “That's the legacy that'll then show that we should get the 2031 Women's World Cup. There are these other sports and entertainment events that will be coming. Maybe it shouldn't be another 30 years before America gets the World Cup again, maybe it shouldn't be another 30 years before we get the Summer Olympics or events like that.”