TORONTO – The World Cup, by and large, is played in major metropolitan areas, but even though most big U.S. cities are part of the North American effort to stage the 2026 soccer tournament, bid leaders say they are bullish on playing in secondary markets.
Such talk raises the hopes for places such as Kansas City, Missouri; Nashville, Tennessee and Baltimore.
“Is it natural to think that places like Los Angeles and New York have an edge? The answer is, of course,” said Sunil Gulati, outgoing president of the U.S. Soccer Federation who chairs the United Bid Committee’s board of directors.