At some point this year, FIFA is expected to select the host cities for the 2026 World Cup. Seattle is currently among 17 U.S. cities still in the running, from which somewhere between 8-12 will be selected as part of the “United” bid that will also include three cities each from Canada and Mexico.
It’s undeniably a huge opportunity for Seattle and the local soccer community. The Seattle Sounders have put significant resources into helping support it, with Senior VP of Legal and External Affairs Maya Mendoza-Exstrom taking a lead role. A recent story in The Athletic shed some light on her part in the bid and some of the lessons learned from Seattle’s ill-fated bid to be a host city during the 1994 tournament.