Why Nashville Could Have A Shot To Be A Host City For The 2026 World Cup

The head of the Nashville Convention and Visitors Corp. said Nissan Stadium has a good shot at hosting World Cup games, after international soccer authorities announced Wednesday that they had chosen the joint United States, Canada and Mexico bid to host the tournament in 2026.

Nashville is one of 23 cities nominated to host games and training. As many as 16 cities will be selected, 10 of them in the United States.

The candidates includes big cities such as New York, Los Angeles and Houston. But NCVC president Butch Spryidon says Nashville can be competitive.

“I think our strength in this next step is being a destination city that people will want to come to,” Spyridon said. “We have the opportunity to create a really cool festival atmosphere.”

Spyridon wants Nashville to host early round matches and a quarterfinal game, as well as a delegation conference, where every participating country is required to attend.