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USA bid committee identifies 70 venues as potential World Cup sites

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The USA World Cup bid committee contacted 70 different venues across the United States as potential sites for the USA bids for World Cups 2018 and 2022.

Some familiar soccer-friendly venues, such as Soldier Field, Gillette Stadium and RFK Stadium, and some stadiums still being built, such as Cowboys Stadium and Meadowlands Stadium, were among the 70 sites contacted by the USA bid committee.

As you might expect, the list includes some intriguing markets, such as Fayetteville, Arkansas and Green Bay, Wisconsin. Basically, the list includes every major college football and NFL stadium in the country.

Here is the complete list of venues contacted by the USA bid committee:

Potential venues for USA World Cup 2018 or 2022

Metro Market

Stadium Location
Atlanta, Ga. Georgia Dome Atlanta, Ga.
Atlanta, Ga. Sanford Stadium Athens, Ga.
Austin, Texas Royal Texas Memorial Stadium Austin, Texas
Baltimore, Md. M&T Bank Stadium Baltimore, Md.
Baton Rouge, La. Tiger Stadium Baton Rouge, La.
Birmingham, Ala. Legion Field Birmingham, Ala.
Birmingham, Ala. Bryant-Denny Stadium Tuscaloosa, Ala.
Boston, Mass. Gillette Stadium Foxborough, Mass.
Buffalo, N.Y. Ralph Wilson Stadium Orchard Park, N.Y.
Cedar Rapids, Iowa Kinnick Stadium Iowa City, Iowa
Champaign, Ill. Memorial Stadium Champaign, Ill.
Charlotte, N.C. Bank of America Stadium Charlotte, N.C.
Chicago, Ill. Soldier Field Chicago, Ill.
Cincinnati, Ohio Paul Brown Stadium Cincinnati, Ohio
Cleveland, Ohio Cleveland Browns Stadium Cleveland, Ohio
Columbia, Mo. Faurot Field Columbia, Mo.
Columbia, S.C. Williams-Brice Stadium Columbia, S.C.
Columbus, Ga. Jordan-Hare Stadium Auburn, Ala.
Columbus, Ohio  Ohio Stadium Columbus, Ohio
Dallas, Texas Cotton Bowl Dallas, Texas
Dallas, Texas Dallas Cowboys New Stadium Arlington, Texas
Denver, Colo. Invesco Field Denver, Colo.
Detroit, Mich. University of Michigan Stadium Ann Arbor, Mich.
Detroit, Mich. Ford Field Detroit, Mich.
Detroit, Mich. Spartan Stadium East Lansing, Mich.
Fayetteville, Ark. Reynolds Razorback Stadium Fayetteville, Ark.
Green Bay, Wis. Lambeau Field Green Bay, Wis.
Greenville, S.C. Memorial Stadium Clemson, S.C.
Harrisburg, Pa. Beaver Stadium University Park, Pa.
Houston, Texas Reliant Stadium Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas Rice Stadium Houston, Texas
Houston, Texas Kyle Field College Station, Texas
Indianapolis, Ind. Lucas Oil Stadium Indianapolis, Ind.
Jacksonville, Fla. Jacksonville Municipal Stadium Jacksonville, Fla.
Jacksonville, Fla. Ben Hill Griffin Stadium Gainesville, Fla.
Kansas City, Mo. Arrowhead Stadium Kansas City, Mo.
Knoxville, Tenn. Neyland Stadium Knoxville, Tenn.
Lexington, Ky. Commonwealth Stadium Lexington, Ky.
Los Angeles, Calif. Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum Los Angeles, Calif.
Los Angeles, Calif. Rose Bowl Pasadena, Calif.
Madison, Wis. Camp Randall Stadium Madison, Wis.
Miami, Fla. Dolphin Stadium Miami Gardens, Fla.
Minneapolis, Minn. TCF Bank Stadium Minneapolis, Minn.
Minneapolis, Minn. Hubert H. Humphrey Metrodome Minneapolis, Minn.
Nashville, Tenn. LP Field Nashville, Tenn.
New Haven, Conn. Yale Bowl New Haven, Conn.
New Orleans, La. Superdome New Orleans, La.
New York, N.Y. Meadowlands Stadium East Rutherford, N.J.
Oklahoma City, Okla. Oklahoma Memorial Stadium Norman, Okla.
Omaha, Neb. Memorial StadUium Lincoln, Neb.
Orlando, Fla. Florida Citrus Bowl Orlando, Fla.
Philadelphia, Pa. Lincoln Financial Field Philadelphia, Pa.
Phoenix, Ariz. University of Phoenix Stadium Glendale, Ariz.
Phoenix, Ariz. Sun Devil Stadium Tempe, Ariz.
Pittsburgh, Pa. Heinz Field Pittsburgh, Pa.
Roanoke, Va. Lane Stadium Blacksburg, Va.
Salt Lake City, Utah LaVell Edwards Stadium Provo, Utah
San Antonio, Texas Alamodome San Antonio, Texas
San Diego, Calif. Qualcomm Stadium San Diego, Calif.
San Fran/Oakland, Calif. Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum Oakland, Calif.
San Fran/Oakland, Calif. Stanford Stadium Stanford, Calif.
San Fran/Oakland, Calif. California Memorial Stadium Berkeley, Calif.
Seattle, Wash. Qwest Field Seattle, Wash.
Seattle, Wash. Husky Stadium Seattle, Wash.
South Bend, Ind. Notre Dame Stadium Notre Dame, Ind.
St. Louis, Mo. Edward Jones Dome St. Louis, Mo.
Tallahassee, Fla. Doak Campbell Stadium Tallahassee, Fla.
Tampa, Fla. Raymond James Stadium Tampa, Fla.
Washington, D.C. RFK Memorial Stadium Washington, D.C.
Washington, D.C. FedEx Field Landover, Md.

The U.S. bid committee has set an April 17th deadline for the officials from the 70 venues to express interest in joining the bids.

The FIFA deadline for nations to submit World Cup bids is May, 2010. With Europe looking like a safe bet to be awarded World Cup 2018, the United States appears a more realistic option in 2022.

What do you think of this list? Any venues that surprised you? Any venues missing that you think should be on the list? Where would you play the World Cup if you could pick the venues?

Share your thoughts below.

Comments

  1. Lavell Edwards stadium is a complete dump. Rice Eccles would be a much better choice in Utah but its not on the list. Of course neiter one is likely to get a game. I think Phoenix would be a good host city because of its state of the art stadium and it also has Sun Devil Stadium and is moderately close to LA and San Diego.

    Reply
  2. I can speak for the West Coast venues:
    #1 NorthWest: QWEST field. great acoustics, great seats from all angles. intense community. business sponsors abound.
    #2 NorCal: Stanford stadium. simply cuz they’ve done it before, and it seats tons of peeps. brings out the NorCal community – lot of Brazilians + Portuguese up in the bay
    #3 SoCal: Home Depot Center – a real soccer stadium with great seats for 27,000. not all gigantic and distant seats like the Rose Bowl.

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  3. The FIFA and the US committed a couple of major error as to WC 1994. While a WC in Germany, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Japan etc means reasonable distances between venues and a great atmosphere, a WC spread out over 4time-zones and 3-4000miles made for none of that.

    Thus, the US should have a new WC, but only if it is limited to a region: The East (from Virginia to New England), California, Florida, Texas&3surrounding states or Chicago&radius of 500 miles etc.

    The other major error in 1994 was to stage games in the middle of the summer daytime sun in order to please European viewers. This wrecked and influenced games and was completely irresponsible. US latitudes being like Southern Europe and North Africa made this just crazy.

    WC games should always be played at the optimal times for the country where they are played and nowhere else. Other time zones must always adjust. Who has to adjust will vary from WC to WC. If FIFA is not willing to do this, the WC must be moved permanently to Europe.

    Reply
  4. Seattle

    San Diego

    Denver

    Dallas

    Nashville

    Chicago

    Columbus

    Boston

    NY

    DC

    That would be my final 9. I think this allows the stadiums to be spread out around the country.

    Reply
  5. Final – NY
    Semis – Dallas | LA
    Qtrs – Chicago | DC | Seattle | Phoenix
    16s – ‘Boston’ | Philly | Houston | Northern California Stadium | Florida Stadium | Denver | Detroit | KC

    15 stadiums right there… Close runner up would be a stadium in the SE region (Atlanta, Louisiana, Nashville, N Carolina)

    Reply
  6. These look like the most realistic venues and locks:

    Seattle (Qwest Field) – Built with soccer in mind. Turnout for Sounders games thus far shows what a hotbed the city is. Just imagine the support for a WC game.

    Phoenix (U of Phoenix Stadium in Glendale) – The stadium was built in hopes of hosting WC matches. Retractable roof and field. Facility is second to none. Trust me I know. I was at the USA vs. Mexico match in ’07.

    Dallas (New Cowboys Stadium) – Jerry has already said he would welcome the opportunity for this place to host. This will seat around 80,000 with the ability to expand to 100,000 for special events. WC Final anyone?

    Houston (Reliant Stadium) – Retractable roof and proven track record of hosting soccer matches which include 2 USA vs. Mexico friendlies, CONCACAF Gold Cup matches and international club matches.

    Chicago (Soldier Field) – Impressive soccer resume. Hosted in ’94. Has hosted numerous friendlies and Gold Cup matches and hosting it’s first USMNT qualifier this summer. Don’t forget the stadium has been renovated.

    New York – (New Meadowlands Stadium)

    Philly (Lincoln Financial Field)

    New England ( Gillette Stadium)

    Nashville (LP Field) – Hosted a USMNT 06 sendoff match, Olympic qualifiers and USMNT WCQ. U.S. Soccer has grown to like this place.

    Los Angeles – Renovated Coliseum, Rose Bowl or new NFL stadium (City of Industry)

    San Francisco – New 49ers stadium or renovated Oakland coliseum. Stanford’s capacity has been reduced since ’94.

    Denver (Mile High Stadium) – Hey, WC matches were played in the smoggy, thin air of Azteca then why not Mile High?

    Also to be considered:

    Cleveland Browns Stadium

    Indy – Lucas Oil Field

    KC – Arrowhead Stadium

    StL – Edward Jones Dome

    Detroit – Ford Field

    Charlotte – B of A Stadium

    Miami – Dolphin Stadium

    Reply
  7. I agree with what has been said: this is just a list to intimidate the competition, but there’s no way the USSF expects foreigners to travel to Arkansas or Nebraska, plus these kinda stadiums are not near today’s WC standard (look up the Germany 2006 venues!).
    Also, this time there will DEFINITELY be more than 9 venues (because the WC expanded since 94).
    My guess: Seattle, SF Bay, LA, Phoenix (?), Denver, Dallas, Houston, Chicago, Detroit (?), Miami, Atlanta (?), DC, NY, Boston
    Outside chances: Philly, Tampa, San Diego, New Orleans

    Reply
  8. “As to the stadiums in LA, neither the Rose Bowl nor the Coliseum are up to par any more. They may be renovated/replaced by then (I would assume they will be), but that’s something that needs to be considered.”

    the rose bowl isnt gonna anywhere it will still be there in 100 years

    and it would be a disgrace to have a game in tampa with that pirate ship connected to the stadium

    Reply
  9. no stanford? It’s a brand new stadium!

    Posted by: Freddie

    Stanford isn’t brand new; it’s an old university stadium that was recently modernized. Unfortunately the modernization greatly reduced seating capacity, so it’s no longer suitable for World Cup finals. At least not in the USA where you have so many other larger stadiums available.

    Reply
  10. The Next Six World Cup Host Destinations
    2010: South Africa
    2014: Brazil
    2018: Portugal/Spain
    2022: U.S.A.
    2026: Australia
    2030: England

    2034: Egypt?
    2036: South America?
    2040: Netherlands/Belgium

    Reply
  11. Cam, Miami is far from ideal. In addition to the heat, which has been discussed in this thread plenty, Miami has frequent afternoon thunderstorms during the summer (which is why the marlins want a retractable roof stadium), and Dolphins Stadium is a 30+ minute drive from downtown with no viable public transportation. The stadium itself is a great place to watch a soccer game, and it got an upgrade in 2006, but there are still plenty of reasons it w

    as passed over in favor of orlando in 1994.

    Posted by: kanu

    This doesn’t apply to Tampa, whose stadium is downtown right next to the airport. Miami didn’t lose out to Orlando in 1994; Tampa did. Orlando’s stadium situation is now much worse, and Tampa’s much better, than it was in 1994.

    And you can forget the “it’s too hot” line of argument; there is no way they will not have World Cup matches in Florida. Demographics alone dictate that they are going to have a Florida host city.

    Reply
  12. The orange bowl in orlando was a venue in ’94 as well, so that’s a possible repeat as well, since I don’t know of any fancy new stadiums in that part of the country.

    Posted by: rikki tikki tavi

    __________________________________________

    Citrus Bowl was a 1994 host in Orlando. Orange Bowl is now torn down and was in downtown Miami.

    Posted by: kebzach

    Citrus Bowl is by far the oldest and least suitable. There are three “fancy new stadiums in that part of the country” that someone obviously does not know about: Dolphin Stadium in Miami, about two decades old but still perfectly modern and suitable and will probably be modernized/upgraded before 2022; Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, slightly more than a decade old and still quite modern; Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, about a decade old, still quite modern.

    The Citrus Bowl is a dump; it may be renovated before 2022 but I don’t see that putting Orlando in the lead. Jacksonville is just not the best city in Florida to put World Cup games in. I’d say Tampa or Miami would be the best choices.

    Reply
  13. As much as I would love for St. Louis to host a venue, the only viable field is the Edge, and lets be serious, as much as I loved watching the Steamers play growing up, indoor soccer is just depressing. There is something about being outside that makes World Cup soccer great. Or any game for that matter.

    Reply
  14. I wouldn’t be surprised if one or two of the stadiums chosen are college football venues..for the reason stated that the WC is a great way to expose people to the entire country…

    Reply
  15. If there was ever game at Kinnick Stadium (70,000+) in Iowa City, I would spend any amount of money to be there, regardless of who was playing…it would be amazing. The crowd is right on top of the field and the entire stadium (including state of the art luxury boxes) was remodeled just three years ago.

    That said, I am sure there is about a .00000000000008% chance of that happening. Its nice to dream though and also to revel in the unbelievable stadium infrastructure that our country possesses…

    Reply

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