Calgary on list for World Cup match

The eyes of the world could be on Calgary in 2026.

The United Bid Committee of the U.S., Mexico and Canada on Tuesday unveiled a list of proposed sites to host World Cup matches if the partner nations are awarded the 2026 tournament.

Included on the list are Calgary’s McMahon Stadium, Edmonton’s Commonwealth Stadium, Montreal’s Olympic Stadium and Saputo Stadium, Ottawa’s TD Place, Regina’s Mosaic Stadium, Toronto’s Rogers Centre and BMO Field, and Vancouver’s BC Place.

All World Cup stadiums are required to have at least 40,000 seats, meaning TD Place would need to be expanded beyond Grey Cup capacity (about 35,000) if selected as a venue.

“The host cities included in our bid will be critical to its success — not only because of their facilities and ability to stage major events, but because they are committed to further developing the sport of soccer by harnessing the impact of hosting a FIFA World Cup — and looking beyond the game itself to make a positive contribution to our communities and the world,” United Bid Committee executive director John Kristick said.

The Canadian Soccer Association informed Postmedia earlier this summer it hopes to stage matches in as many as four Canadian cities.

The tri-bid will feature 49 proposed stadiums in total — 37 in the U.S. and three in Mexico — when it’s officially submitted to FIFA next March.

It was revealed earlier this year that Canada and Mexico will host 10 round robin group games while the U.S. will host the entire knockout stage if the bid is accepted.

Cities that aren’t chosen to host games could still be selected as training sites or team bases during the month-long tournament.

Twelve stadiums were used to stage the 2014 World Cup in Brazil. However, an expanded, 48-team World Cup could move FIFA to select a larger number of stadiums given the distance between host cities.

The U.S., Mexico and Canada are bidding against Morocco to host the 2026 World Cup.