Talk of a biennial World Cup has overshadowed some of the crucial decision making to be made around the 2026 World Cup, and event that in itself will be groundbreaking, both for FIFA and football.
It will be the first FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted by three countries – US, Mexico and Canada – and the first finals to be played by 48 teams.
Last month FIFA completed its inspection visits of candidate host cities. Focus has been on the intense bidding battles in the US with 17 cities – Atlanta, Baltimore, Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas, Denver, Houston, Kansas City, Los Angeles, Miami, Nashville, New York/New Jersey, Orlando, Philadelphia, the San Francisco Bay area, Seattle and Washington, D.C. – vying for a likely 10 host slots.
Canada has just two bidding cities – Edmonton and Toronto – with the country scheduled to host 10 games. Montreal had initially declared their intention to bid for a host slot but subsequently withdrew.
The intensity in Canada, and the understanding of what it means to be a World Cup host city is not lost on Edmonton in particular. To get to the final stages of the World Cup host bidding has been a journey in itself – a final decision is expected in the first half of 2022.
In the November international window Edmonton gave a snapshot of what hosting big ticket international football looks like in their city.
Canada are re-emerging as a nation in international men’s football. While the exploits of the Canadian women’s team are well known – they won Olympic Gold this summer in Tokyo – the men’s team have been methodically working themselves to the top of the pile in the Concacaf region over the past five seasons.
That summit was reached in Edmonton in November when the Canadians won two 2022 qualifying matches to put them top of the Qatar 2022 qualifying group. The significance of the wins in Edmonton was that they were over two of the regions perennially leading teams – first against Costa Rica and then over the region’s all-powerful Mexico.
The job now for the Canadians is to sustain that performance level with the generation of players that have driven them to the top, and to make sure the next generation keep pushing the boundaries.
It is a story of build, sustain and build again that is perhaps reflective of Edmonton’s approach to hosting sport. A passion to do something that contributes and moves the sport forward.
Edmonton may not be one of the first venue names on a football followers list, but the city is no stranger to football – look at its women’s football credentials and the kick start it provided for the women’s game in Canada and worldwide.
Scratch the surface of the city and you see a very special place, and in a host city bid environment led predominantly by male bid teams and the macho flexing of infrastructure capabilities, Edmonton comes over as having the understanding and sympathy for the sport that is required to be a truly great, memorable and ‘contributing’ World Cup city.
Edmonton’s bid has a lot of points of differentiation from its rivals, from geography to cultural contribution. And in FIFA’s overtly male world of national associations – you can count the number of female national association presidents on one hand – Edmonton becomes noticeable as the only bid to be led by two women executives.
Janelle Janis, Director of Edmonton Events, and Ronna Bremer, Director, Partnerships and Attraction, City of Edmonton, spoke to Insideworldfootball exclusively about the bid process they have been on, the importance of football to Edmonton, and what North America’s northernmost city would bring to the world’s biggest sporting event.
IWF: How do you reflect on your journey as a candidate for the FIFA World Cup 2026, from the start of the United 2026 bidding process?
Janelle Janis – Director of Edmonton Events (JJ): This has been a dream come true. Soccer has been my passion since I can remember, and I played throughout my school and college years. I know the great benefits that the beautiful game can bring to individuals of course, but also to communities. To be part of the effort to attract the FIFA World Cup, the world’s biggest sporting event, to my hometown is a tremendous honor.
Ronna Bremer – Director, Partnerships and Attraction, City of Edmonton (RB): It has been a great challenge to be part of this process because the reward is so special. Janelle and I have worked on attracting a whole range of sporting events to Edmonton over the years, including FIFA events but also in sports such as ice hockey, triathlon and rugby. The FIFA World Cup is a such a large, global event, and since 2017 it has been a primary focus of ours and we are very proud of how far we’ve come.
