Philadelphia 2026 World Cup host committee Chair Dan Hilferty said that a “key piece of the puzzle” for the city is “fundraising to pay for facilities that will be used beyond Lincoln Financial Field,” according to Jonathan Tannenwald of the PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER. That means "practice venues, such as the proposed one at FDR Park that has generated controversy” and the "fan fest site, the site for which Hilferty said hasn’t been finalized yet." Hilferty said that when FIFA’s delegation visited the city last fall, local organizers had “raised a little over 50% of what we need to raise” to “run events and facilities during the tournament.” The goal is to have “all of the sites confirmed next year.” While Hilferty “politely dodged questions on where the fan fest will be,” he “hinted that it could be on Penn’s Landing, where a big park is planned for the planned cap over I-95.” Comcast SVP/Political Engagement Michelle Singer praised FIFA on its "flexibility in allowing us to be creative” with fundraising, “because we do have experience." Singer: “They are waiting on us, just like they are the rest of the American cities, to raise the capital needed to put on a world class event.” Tannenwald writes it "really helps that Lincoln Financial Field won't need the kinds of renovations that other 2026 venues will need, especially those with artificial turf or playing surfaces that are too narrow for soccer’s rules” (PHILADELPHIA INQUIRER, 9/22).
