The following 5 years are going to be the most important in American soccer historical past. Quite a few high-level worldwide tournaments are coming to the USA. In 2024, the Copa America returns to those shores after eight years away. The revamped Membership World Cup is coming the next yr. Nevertheless, the 2 largest sporting occasions coming to the USA are the 2026 World Cup and the 2028 Summer time Olympics in Los Angeles.
There may be additionally a robust risk that the 2027 Girls’s World Cup can be right here in addition to Mexico. Internet hosting rights haven’t but been awarded. US Soccer just lately introduced its intention to submit a bid. With that in thoughts, which stadiums needs to be the US venues on the 2027 Girls’s World Cup?
In our opinion, the stadiums that the US ought to use for his or her official bid ought to geographically be unfold throughout the nation (and embrace cities that had been handed over for the 2026 World Cup). Many of the stadiums needs to be ones with massive capacities because the 1999 Girls’s World Cup confirmed that filling up NFL stadiums will be executed.
They need to even have a number of smaller, soccer-specific stadiums as effectively, which has been a current precedent. 5 of the ten venues on the 2023 Girls’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand had capacities underneath 30,000 (three of these 5 had been underneath 20,000) and 6 of the 9 venues on the 2019 Girls’s World Cup in France had been beneath 30,000 (with two of these six underneath 20,000).
So right here, in our opinion, is a take a look at the perfect choices for US venues on the 2027 Girls’s World Cup.
Greatest accessible venues for the 2027 Girls’s World Cup
Tenting World Stadium
Metropolis: Orlando, Florida
Capability: 60,219
For occasions of this magnitude, it could be silly to not have video games in Florida. Orlando was not chosen as a bunch metropolis for the 2026 World Cup (although they did host video games on the 1994 World Cup and the 1996 Olympics) so getting Girls’s World Cup video games a yr later could be met with enthusiasm. Moreover, Orlando is house to the Orlando Satisfaction within the NWSL. They play on the soccer-specific Exploria Stadium (the place they’ve averaged roughly 5,000 followers per sport because the stadium opened in 2017).
Audi Discipline
Metropolis: Washington DC
Capability: 20,000
Sure, it’s a small soccer-specific stadium. However Washington DC was not chosen to host any video games on the 2026 World Cup because of the poor state of FedEx Discipline. Frankly, it could be a travesty to have back-to-back summers with the nation’s capital not internet hosting video games. Audi Discipline is house to the NWSL’s Washington Spirit and has hosted some big-time soccer video games, together with this yr’s MLS All-Star Sport.
Geodis Park
Metropolis: Nashville, Tennessee
Capability: 30,109
Geodis Park is trendy and is the soccer-specific stadium with the biggest capability within the US. Nashville has confirmed to be a fantastic soccer city during the last six or seven years. Sadly, they had been one of many final cities to overlook the reduce for 2026 World Cup responsibility. However the USWNT made an look within the Music Metropolis simply this yr and drew a fantastic crowd. The USMNT can be because of make an look in October towards Ghana. Nashville ought to get Girls’s World Cup video games.
Soldier Discipline
Metropolis: Chicago, Illinois
Capability: 61,500
This one needs to be apparent. Chicago is a large market. Soldier Discipline has hosted quite a few soccer video games through the years together with each 1994 World Cup and 1999 Girls’s World Cup video games. Most just lately, nonetheless, it was not even a part of the bid for the 2026 World Cup so there could be an urge for food for high-level worldwide soccer. Plus, Soldier Discipline has a grass floor so drastic area adjustments wouldn’t be vital.
Lincoln Monetary Discipline
Metropolis: Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Capability: 67,594
Philly has confirmed itself to be a city fairly able to internet hosting high-level worldwide soccer occasions. It is without doubt one of the eleven US venues for the World Cup in 2026. CONCACAF Gold Cup video games have been held there 4 occasions: 2009, 2015, 2017, and 2019. It additionally performed host to video games on the Copa America Centenario in 2016. And most applicable for this dialogue, was one of many host venues on the 2003 Girls’s World Cup. Its grass floor would imply much less work to get the stadium prepared as effectively.
MetLife Stadium
Metropolis: East Rutherford, New Jersey
Capability: 82,500
A “no-brainer.” It’s New York (sure despite the fact that the stadium is over in New Jersey). New York Metropolis is the primary media market within the US and can be internet hosting video games on the 2026 World Cup as they did on the 1994 World Cup, the 1999 Girls’s World Cup, and the 2016 Copa America Centenario. Whereas neither of the 2 MLS groups nor the NWSL group is especially well-attended, New York is a lock to get video games.
State Farm Stadium
Metropolis: Glendale, Arizona
Capability: 72,200
Being an NFL venue with a grass area helps the Phoenix suburb’s case for being a Girls’s World Cup host venue in 2027. The USA handed on State Farm Stadium as a World Cup 2026 host. It was not even a part of the bid to host the World Cup. Nevertheless, the house of the Arizona Cardinals hosted six Gold Cup video games. In 2016, the stadium hosts three video games for the Copa America Centenario. Moreover, the USMNT has performed there six occasions with a median attendance of 39,624 whereas the USWNT has performed there thrice with a median attendance of 16,373.
Rose Bowl
Metropolis: Pasadena, California
Capability: 92,542
There may be some debate right here. The Los Angeles space can be getting Girls’s World Cup video games in 2027. However will they be on the Rose Bowl or the most recent, shiniest, and costliest NFL stadium, SoFi Stadium? SoFi Stadium hosted this yr’s Gold Cup Closing. For the 2026 World Cup, it’s Los Angeles’s host location. On the flip aspect, the Rose Bowl has a larger capability and was the positioning of two earlier World Cup Finals. The 1994 males’s World Cup noticed Brazil win its fourth title. Then, 5 years later, the 1999 Girls’s World Cup wrapped up dramatically on the Rose Bowl. Furthermore, the Rose Bowl is more likely to host the gold medal sport for girls’s soccer on the 2028 LA Olympics.
Levi’s Stadium
Metropolis: Santa Clara, California
Capability: 68,500
The Bay Space has an enormous soccer following. The USWNT simply performed at Avaya Stadium in July and bought it out. Levi’s Stadium was additionally the positioning of 4 video games on the 2016 Copa America Centenario and can be one of many eleven US venues on the World Cup in 2026. It too has a grass area which implies much less work for floor crews to organize for internet hosting Girls’s World Cup video games. The Bay Space has additionally beforehand hosted Girls’s World Cup video games at close by Stanford Stadium again in 1999.
Windfall Park
Metropolis: Portland, Oregon
Capability: 25,218
Windfall Park is one other smaller, soccer-specific stadium however it’s a particular place. Portland is without doubt one of the greatest soccer cities in America (regardless of the USMNT not taking part in there since 2013 and the USWNT not taking part in there since 2012). Each the Timbers in MLS and the Thorns within the NWSL promote out each house sport. However arguably the most important cause Windfall Park needs to be one of many US venues on the 2027 Girls’s World Cup is that it could be the primary stadium in historical past to host video games at three totally different Girls’s World Cup tournaments, internet hosting 4 video games in 1999 and 6 video games in 2003.
Lumen Discipline
Metropolis: Seattle, Washington
Capability: 68,740
Very like Portland, Seattle is a superb soccer city regardless of appearances from the USMNT and USWNT being few and much between. The Sounders in MLS had been for years the gold normal of American soccer help. Their NWSL aspect, OL Reign, performs at Lumen Discipline as effectively and this yr is averaging 7,815 followers per sport. Seattle can be no stranger to internet hosting high-level worldwide tournaments as they had been one of many venues for the 2016 Copa America Centenario and can be one of many venues for the 2026 World Cup.
What US Soccer and the bid committee in the end determined to do continues to be up within the air. They might select to go along with all NFL stadiums. They might go for a hybrid of NFL stadiums and MLS stadiums. It is usually potential they use each NFL and MLS venues for the 2027 Girls’s World Cup. But, they may very well be totally different than those on this checklist. If the USA scores the co-hosting rights to the 2027 Girls’s World Cup, it ensures one factor. The following 5 years can be a great deal of enjoyable for American soccer followers.
Loading…