Brief wave of worry gives way to joy as Philly bid is accepted
PHILADELPHIA » Alejandro Bedoya looked at his wife, Bea, just off stage with the slightest dismay. Chris Branscome shared a sidelong glance with the others on the stage at Love Park.
When Boston’s name was announced as one of the 16 host cities for the 2026 World Cup Thursday, there was, for the briefest of moments, perhaps for the only time in a five-year bidding process, a sliver of doubt about Philadelphia Soccer 2026.
Before they had a moment to attempt the back-of-the-envelope math — Toronto plus Boston plus Miami plus New York equals what? — FIFA President Gianni Infantino assuaged any trepidation and set off a wave of cheers from the thousand or so fans gathered in the heart of the city.
Philadelphia’s Lincoln Financial Field was named Thursday as one of 16 venues for the 2026 FIFA World Cup, hosted jointly by the United States, Canada and Mexico.
It took until late in FIFA’s typically protracted dog and pony show for Philadelphia’s name to be called, with the five cities in the Eastern region announced last in the soccer governing body’s typically bloated hour-long program. But for a city that started as an underdog and saw its stock rise via grassroots support and an impressive corporate coalition, a slightly nervous wait proved worthwhile.
Well, maybe not nervous… “I was a little surprised to see Boston,” said Branscome, the president of Eastern Pennsylvania Youth Soccer Association. “But I never really felt nervous about our getting picked. I just needed to hear the name. And we all went nuts, the whole crew, the whole staff of the bid. Everyone just started hugging each other.”
“This moment of celebration has been five years in the making,” said Philadelphia Soccer 2026 chair Dan Hilferty, “with countless people who have committed countless hours to bring this bid home.”
The composition of Thursday’s celebration spoke volumes about that bid. All five Philadelphia pro teams were represented, by mascots, executives or someone in between. The Eagles have been steadfast partners, with Lincoln Financial Field hosting numerous soccer events through the years, including a CONCACAF Gold Cup final, Copa America Centenario and well-attended international and club friendlies. The Union offered Bedoya, the club captain, as an honorary co-chair, along with local-tied soccer players Carli Lloyd, Heather Mitts, Zack Steffen and Julie Ertz, with husband Zach.
Philadelphia’s history in attracting FIFA has been spotty. The city was bypassed for the 1994 World Cup, the last time the world’s most popular sporting event came to the U.S. Then, Veterans Stadium was found wanting. It’s also why the 1999 Women’s World Cup missed Philly, though the hastily rescheduled Women’s World Cup in 2003 played a pair of doubleheaders during the Linc’s first summer.
FIFA did not disclose a timeline for the awarding of knockout-stage games, with Thursday’s announcement just covering cities to host.
Since, the city has grown into an international destination, hosting events like the World Meeting of Families and Papal Visit in 2015 and the 2016 Democratic National Convention. Mayor Jim Kenney’s administration supported the bid early, along with PHL Sports and the Philadelphia Convention and Visitors Bureau to coincide with America’s 250th birthday.
“I couldn’t be prouder today,” Kenney said. “Let’s show the world what we have.”
The bid committee also received buy-in from significant corporate partners. Hilferty, the former CEO of Independence Blue Cross, specifically thanked Comcast Chairman and CEO Brian Roberts, “whose personal leadership in this effort made all the difference. At every turn, Brian leaned into this bid, letting everyone know Philadelphia had the full support of Comcast.”
The cable giant also supplied Philadelphia Soccer 2026’s first chairman, David Cohen, before he was confirmed as U.S. Ambassador to Canada last fall. Philadelphia emphasized qualities FIFA would love to tout — the community-based, World Cup-style Unity Cup, for instance, and the Linc’s stellar sustainability rating.
Even with the bid’s merits — and with a Comcast subsidiary, Telemundo, having paid FIFA handsomely for Spanish-language World Cup broadcast rights — Philadelphia was seen as an outsider bid. Ultimately, 11 American cities will host, along with Toronto, Vancouver, Mexico City, Monterrey and Guadalajara.
The Philadelphia crowd was kept on tenterhooks by the reveal of Western venues first — Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles — then Central cities Houston, Dallas, Atlanta and Kansas City. The latter was squarely on the bubble.
In the East, the FS1 broadcast announced Toronto, a near certainty, and Boston, a longshot bid given the perennial poor condition of Foxborough, even with the chummy relations between Infantino and New England Patriots/Revolution owner Robert Kraft.
That left three spots, though with Miami and New York/ New Jersey virtual certainties, you could sense a twinge of uncertainty ripple through the Love Park congregation.
The odds entering the day were that one of either Boston, Philadelphia or the combined Washington D.C./Baltimore bid would end up out.
“I turned to my wife when they said Boston,” Bedoya said, “and was like, ‘Oh no, that’s not good.’”
But FIFA didn’t build the suspense, announcing Philadelphia in the third-to-last spot and setting off celebrations. D.C. (and Ottawa) make this just the third time a World Cup bypasses a nation’s capital.
Bedoya understands how special this can be. He was eight during the 1994 World Cup. Born to a soccer-loving Colombian family, he and his Carlos Valderrama wig had a clear rooting interest. Sixtysix caps and a World Cup for the United States later, things are different.
He understands how important a World Cup in Philadelphia can be to growing the sport. One glance at the crowd, repping soccer programs (some defunct) in the
Catholic League to club and national teams from Europe, Central and South America, underscores how global yet local the game can be.
“My son is just getting really into soccer now, he loves to play it and four years from now, he’ll be 11 years old,” Bedoya said. “I know he’ll be at that age where he’s going to be comfortable watching a game and see all the hype around it and see all these talented, world-class players and it’ll make him fall in love with the sport even more. I think it’s a great thing for everyone here around Philly. “
“This means everything to growing the game,” Branscome added. “Whether you’re not a fan or a casual fan, soccer will be on the tip of everyone’s tongue for the next four years. Through the bid process, I’ve already learned how we’ve escalated the sport with the business community, with our elected officials and certainly for us in the soccer community, it just takes it to another level.”