The North American bid for the 2026 World Cup delivered its official pitch to FIFA on Friday with 23 cities "listed as potential venues," according to Matthew Hall of the London GUARDIAN. But "behind the fanfare," four major cities -- Chicago, Minneapolis, Vancouver and Glendale -- told FIFA and the United Bid they did not want to be "part of a World Cup." Local authorities from those cities cited "heavy-handed requests" from FIFA and the bid that "included potentially huge taxpayer bills, as well as hosting contracts that exposed their cities and residents to immense financial and legal risk." Chicago Mayor Rahm Emanuel announced on Wednesday that Chicago was out -- "even if the bid was successful." A city official said that although Chicago considered itself a "big event city," the requirements for the '26 tournament “just didn’t feel right.” One demand from FIFA was that the organization could "require Chicago to construct a dome over Soldier Field." FIFA's requirements also included an "open-ended ability to modify the agreement at any time" and "no indemnity to protect the city or taxpayers from legal and financial risks." A FIFA spokesperson did not "directly respond" when asked if its World Cup demands "were too demanding," instead referring to a 12-page document titled "Overview of Government Guarantees and the Government Declaration." The document outlines FIFA's "need to establish a legal framework when it imports its own infrastructure to operate within a host nation" and the need for a local government to accommodate football's governing body. FIFA’s requirements for host nations also demand that the U.S., Canada and Mexico guarantee a visa-free environment or “issue non-discriminatory entry procedures” for representatives of FIFA nations during the World Cup. FIFA also requires the agreements must be signed by the "highest national government executive authority," meaning, in the U.S., President Donald Trump "must sign off on the tournament" if the joint bid receives a majority vote from the 211 FIFA members (GUARDIAN, 3/19).
