FIFA officials in town Thursday for inspections as Miami bids for 2026 World Cup games

Miami’s bid to host 2026 World Cup matches will take a big step Thursday when a delegation of FIFA and U.S. Soccer officials comes to town for stadium and practice site visits and meetings with local organizers and politicians.

The 2026 World Cup will be hosted by the United States, Canada, and Mexico. Seventeen U.S. cities are vying for as many as 11 host spots to join three cities in Mexico and two in Canada. FIFA hopes to name the host cities in early-to-mid 2022.

Miami is the ninth city on this tour. Others were Boston, Nashville, Atlanta, Orlando, Washington, D.C., Baltimore, New York/New Jersey, and Philadelphia. Eight other cities have visits scheduled by the end of November.

Officials will visit Hard Rock Stadium, a venue built to FIFA specifications that has hosted many world-class soccer matches and is a leading candidate to host World Cup games. They also will inspect potential training sites, including Inter Miami’s practice facility and DRV PNK Stadium in Fort Lauderdale, the Dolphins’ training facility, Barry University and FIU. Officials will also tour potential sites for fan festivals.

The delegation includes FIFA vice president Victor Montagliani, who also is president of CONCACAF (Confederation of North, Central America and Caribbean Association Football); FIFA chief tournaments and events officer Colin Smith; officials of U.S. Soccer, Canada Soccer and the Mexico soccer federations.