City aims to host World Cup matches

Edmonton could add to its impressive portfolio of hosting international sporting events and get a handy free kick to the economy if it can secure some 2026 FIFA World Cup matches.

A list of 44 proposed host cities — including Edmonton and Calgary — was released Tuesday by the United Bid Committee of the U.S., Mexico and Canada, the muscle behind the push to have the world’s largest sporting event split between three nations.

In all, seven Canadian cities have shown interest in playing host to soccer’s showcase tournament but some of those could be scrubbed off the list because of their stadium’s seating capacities — all stadiums are required to have at least 40,000 seats. Commonwealth Stadium seats more than 60,000 people.

Even though the bid process is just beginning, the thought of hosting up to four matches is a tantalizing opportunity for the city’s director of partnerships and event attraction, Ronna Bremer-Todd.

“FIFA World Cup is the biggest sporting event in the world, so to be part of that would be really neat,” Bremer-Todd said. “We believe Edmonton has a very strong chance and we really see this as an exciting opportunity.”

Preparations on a request for information are currently underway and must be submitted by Sept. 5. The shortlist process is expected to be completed by the end of September.

The three-nation official bid must be submitted to FIFA by March 16.

Edmonton’s history of FIFA events goes back to 2002, when the U19 women’s World Cup came to town. Five years later, the U20 men’s World Cup rolled through, and then in 2014 the city hosted the U20 women’s World Cup. Eleven women’s World Cup matches were played in Edmonton over eight days in 2015, injecting an estimated $56 million into the economy.

While hosting three or four games wouldn’t have the same economic impact, everyone from the airport to hotels and bars and Edmonton attractions would benefit, Edmonton Tourism director of communications Renee Williams said.

“What FIFA 2015 did for us was put our name out there as a contender to get the men’s World Cup here,” Williams said.

“Edmonton has a good standing and good chances of getting shortlisted.”