FIFA will announce 2026 World Cup U.S. sites today
As FIFA prepares to announce the 2026 World Cup sites on Thursday — and make high-profile cuts — Alan Rothenberg thought back to when stadiums were picked for the 1994 tournament he headed in the United States.
“They gave the rights to the host country, and the host country basically ran the whole thing,” he said. “Here, everything is done in-house by FIFA. So it's been a really long and arduous process. The terms have been incredibly difficult for cities to cope with.”
Seventeen stadiums in 16 areas including Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara remained in contention to be among 10-12 selected from the U.S. for the tournament, which will be co-hosted with Mexico and Canada. The U.S. will host 60 of the 80 games under FIFA's plan, including all from the quarterfinals on, and there was little doubt over the venues for 10 games each in the other nations.
Last time, the nine U.S. stadiums were announced during a Waldorf-Astoria news conference 816 days before the opener. This time, the decisions will be revealed by FIFA in a Fox television studio 1,456 days before the likely start.
In handicapping the bidders, there appeared to be several tiers:
—Locks: AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, and MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, along with SoFi Stadium in Inglewood or the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California.
—In the hunt: MercedesBenz Stadium in Atlanta; M&T Bank Stadium in Baltimore; Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts; NRG Stadium in Houston; Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri; Hard Rock Stadium in Miami Gardens, Florida; Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee; Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia; Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California; and Lumen Field in Seattle.
—Least likely: Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati; Empower Field at Mile High in Denver; and Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
BLATTER, PLATINI FACE 20-MONTH SUSPENDED SENTENCES >> Prosecutors in the fraud trial of former FIFA president Sepp Blatter and vice president Michel Platini asked Wednesday for both men to get 20-month suspended prison sentences.
Blatter and Platini, a former France national team captain who was president of European governing body UEFA, faced sentences of up to five years for financial wrongdoing but actual jail time was considered to be unlikely ahead of their 11-day trial. Verdicts are expected on July 8.
The 86-year-old Blatter's legal jeopardy increased Wednesday when prosecutors in FIFA's home city Zurich confirmed to The Associated Press they had opened criminal proceedings against him in a separate complaint filed by soccer's world body in 2020. MORRIS GIVES U.S. DRAW VS. EL SALVADOR >> Entering in the 80th minute on a rainsoaked field that looked like a torn-up recreational park, Jordan Morris thought back to youth soccer in Seattle.
Morris went on to score in the first minute of secondhalf stoppage time, offsetting Alexander Larín's 35thminute goal past poorly positioned Ethan Horvath and giving the United States a 1-1 draw at El Salvador in a soggy World Cup warmup Tuesday night.
“These are kind of some of the fields I used to play on as a kid,” Morris said. “Being from Seattle, obviously, it's not the mud — the rain. I love playing in the rain. So I was just embracing that moment. I think the team as a group just embraced the challenge.”
El Salvador was close to ending a 30-year, 19-game winless streak against the U.S. in this CONCACAF Nations League match. Among the players on the bubble for a Cup roster spot, Morris leapt over Larin to head Luca de la Torre's cross past goalkeeper Mario González seconds into six minutes of stoppage time.
It was Morris' 11th international goal.
NFL
STEELERS EXTEND FITZPATRICK >> Minkah Fitzpatrick is staying in Pittsburgh.
The Steelers signed their star safety to a five-year contract on Wednesday. Financial details were not released. NFL Network reported the deal is worth $73.6 million, which would make him the highest-paid safety in the league.
The 25-year-old Fitzpatrick was ready to enter the final year of his rookie contract. He has been spectacular at times since arriving in Pittsburgh in a trade with Miami in September 2019 and was selected to the Pro Bowl and the AllPro team in each of his first two seasons with the Steelers.
Fitzpatrick said in a release he was “shocked” and “excited” as he enters the prime of his career. WILLIS RETIRES TO PURSUE MINISTRY >> Khari Willis found there was more to life than football.
So on Tuesday, the Indianapolis Colts' promising 26-year-old starting safety surprised many by retiring to join the ministry.
“I am both humbled and excited to pursue the holy call that God has for my life which brings me much joy and purpose,” Willis wrote in his announcement on Twitter. “Thank you all for the support over the years.”
Indy seemed to have an inkling Willis considered leaving when it excused him from the team's mandatory three-day minicamp in early June. Back then coach Frank Reich, who studied in the seminary and became a pastor after his football career ended, told reporters Willis was absent for personal reasons.
Colleges
OON TO MAKE LPGA DEBUT >> Former San Jose State women's golfer Natasha Andrea Oon will make her professional debut this weekend at the Meijer LPGA Classic for Simply Give, June 16-19, at the Blythfield Country Club in Belmont, Mich.
Oon earned an exemption to the tournament after receiving the 2022 Inkster Award presented by Workday, recognizing the highest-ranked women's Division I collegiate golfer in her final year of eligibility in the 2021-22 season.