FIFA’s absurd demands are pushing cities to drop out of the bid for hosting the North American World Cup

Woohae Cho/Getty Images

• Chicago and Vancouver will not try to become World Cup host cities in 2026.
• This is in large part due to demands from FIFA concerning taxes and security.
• The United States, Canada, and Mexico are vying to jointly host the World Cup in 2026.

---

Thanks to FIFA’s outrageous demands towards host cities, a few major North American cities opted not to be included in the joint bid between the United States, Canada, and Mexico for the 2026 World Cup.

Chicago, the very headquarters of the U.S. Soccer Federation, is one such city that withdrew from the bid.

According to a statement from Mayor Rahm Emmanuel, via The Chicago Sun-Times, “The uncertainty for taxpayers, coupled with FIFA’s inflexibility and unwillingness to negotiate, were clear indications that further pursuit of the bid wasn’t in Chicago’s best interests.”

Vancouver also opted not to participate in the bid, according to the Breaker. Their report states that the Premier of British Columbia, “balked at FIFA’s expensive wish list, from a sweetheart lease of B.C. Place Stadium to onerous security costs. ” Minneapolis also pulled itself out of the running to be a host city, according to the Star Tribune.