DENVER — Denver’s dream of hosting a 2026 FIFA World Cup game was dashed.
On Thursday afternoon, FIFA announced the 16 cities that will host a World Cup game in 2026 and Denver did not make the cut. In total, 22 candidate host cities, including Denver, were in the running to host matches for the 48-team tournament, which will be played around the United States, Canada and Mexico.
Matthew Payne, executive director of the Denver Sports Commission, thanked FIFA for considering Denver's bid and congratulated the cities that were chosen.
"We know the competition was tough, and we’re proud of the bid we submitted," Payne said. "While Denver was not selected, our city has a long history of hosting prestigious soccer events such as the Concacaf Gold Cup and matches featuring both the men’s and women’s national teams, and we are confident that tradition will continue.”
These are the cities that were selected for the 2026 FIFA World Cup:
- Atlanta
- Boston
- Dallas
- Guadalajara
- Houston
- Kansas City
- Los Angeles
- Mexico City
- Miami
- Monterrey
- New York/New Jersey
- Philadelphia
- San Francisco
- Seattle
- Toronto
- Vancouver
Below are the locations that did not make the cut, but submitted a bid:
- Denver
- Cincinnati
- Edmonton
- Nashville
- Orlando
- Washington DC/Baltimore
FIFA said it considered each proposal from the cities, which touched on sustainability, human rights, legacy, general infrastructure and financial impact.
Officials in Denver announced they were ready to put in a bid in mid-July 2019.
