Cincinnati Falls Short in Bid to Host 2026 FIFA World Cup™

FIFA officials announced the U.S. cities who will host 2026 FIFA World Cup tonight via a live global television broadcast and Cincinnati was not named as a Host City. Since 2017, Cincinnati corporate, hospitality and government leaders have prepared Cincinnati’s bid to host FIFA World Cup.

“Even though our 2026 Cincy Local Organizing Committee, our community and our partners put together a flawless bid package, Cincinnati fell short in its efforts to become a host city for FIFA World Cup 2026,” said Jeff Berding, Co-CEO of FC Cincinnati & 2026 Cincy Local Organizing Executive Committee. “I want to personally thank this community, our county and city government officials along with our corporate and civic leaders for supporting us in our efforts to bring the World Cup to Cincinnati. Even though this bid may not have been successful, I feel the process has set us up for future successful bids that will enhance our city and raise our international profile.  We showed that the new Cincinnati is an ambitious City that compete for world class events, so this isn’t the end of this process - it’s just the beginning of more to come. So stay tuned, and don’t sleep on Cincinnati.”

“It was an honor to be in the running for the FIFA World Cup 2026, and the spotlight on Cincinnati as a potential host city provided a platform to show all that Cincinnati has to offer to an international audience,” said Governor Mike DeWine. “While this is not the outcome we hoped for, Cincinnati remains a strong option for any future world-class sporting event. We look forward to watching with the rest of the world and cheering on the USMNT in the 2022 World Cup!”