The U.S. said this week it will submit a bid to host the 2026 FIFA World Cup alongside Mexico and Canada, and the Washington-Baltimore region is hoping to be part of those plans.
Terry Hasseltine, executive director of Maryland Sports, said he put a call into the U.S. Soccer Federation on a potential role in the bid and to have M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore and FedEx Field in Landover be part of a proposed venue list.
Baltimore was part of the U.S.’s bid package to host the World Cup in 2018 or 2022, being named to the final 18 cities to host games. The events were eventually awarded to Russia and Qatar, respectively.
“We want to make sure we are active on any bid out of the U.S. when it comes to soccer,” Hasseltine said. “We want to make sure the U.S. Soccer Federation is aware of our interest to be part of the process and we are sitting here ready and able should they need us.”