Nashville will not be the site of the 2026 FIFA World Cup. During an announcement Thursday, 16 cities were chosen out of 22 that were in the running.
In the central region, the host cities will be Kansas City, Dallas, Houston, Atlanta, Monterrey and Mexico City.
Soccer’s governing body, FIFA, did not say why it didn’t choose Nashville among the 16 host cities. And local organizers say they weren’t told either.
At a press conference after the announcement, they were asked if Nashville’s bid was hurt by uncertain future of Nissan Stadium, where the games would be played. Nashville Convention & Visitors Corporation CEO Butch Spyridon said it’s not clear.
“While I definitely can’t blame the stadium — won’t, can’t, don’t think that’s the reason — yes, had we had a new facility or a covered stadium, yeah, I think it would have been a difference maker,” he said.
Organizers also noted Nashville was the smallest market among the 22 finalists.
Spyridon said, even without the tournament, he will continue to push city leaders to build a replacement for Nissan Stadium, in the hope that it will lead to the city hosting a Super Bowl.
This tournament will be the first to include 48 teams, instead of 32, according to NPR. It will also be the first time the tournament takes place in stadiums across three countries: Canada, Mexico and the U.S. — all in North America.
Correction: An earlier version of this story misstated where World Cup games would have been played in Nashville. They would have been at Nissan Stadium, not Geodis Park.
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