2026 World Cup - News, Updates and discussions

[Cheeta]

I'll be honest, I never thought Commonwealth would get another MNT match after they pulled up the pitch, shows how much I know.

(^ That's telling about how much I think Commonwealth has/had going for it isn't it?)

BMO is what it is, underwhelming.  Cobbled together as circumstances allowed and it shows. But that pitch.  Worth its weight in gold when it's working.

This latest edition of BC Place is the best footie venue in Canada, and I think the world of Saputo.  But again, that pitch.  Piss off with that.

Why?  I'm mean WTF?  It's winning the race and then falling on the final hurdle because you were looking over your shoulder.  Cheaping out at the end are we?   

You want to have car shows build a convention centre.  Fuk...

So, good to have BC Place back.  Pay attention!  Lay a pitch!

 

[SthMelbRed]

54 minutes ago, Cheeta said:

I'll be honest, I never thought Commonwealth would get another MNT match after they pulled up the pitch, shows how much I know.

(^ That's telling about how much I think Commonwealth has/had going for it isn't it?)

BMO is what it is, underwhelming.  Cobbled together as circumstances allowed and it shows. But that pitch.  Worth its weight in gold when it's working.

This latest edition of BC Place is the best footie venue in Canada, and I think the world of Saputo.  But again, that pitch.  Piss off with that.

Why?  I'm mean WTF?  It's winning the race and then falling on the final hurdle because you were looking over your shoulder.  Cheaping out at the end are we?   

You want to have car shows build a convention centre.  Fuk...

So, good to have BC Place back.  Pay attention!  Lay a pitch!

 

They already did that! 😕 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

8 hours ago, ESG Shawn said:

For what its worth, Canada will be playing at a stadium with a track in November....

There's a reason why the word normally was in the post you responded to. Only reason Qatar are hosting is Blatter era bribery.

[Scottie]

 

You definitely don't want to play a World Cup Final in a stadium with a track, says Germany in 2006.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

...because we all know Edmonton is to the North American continent what Berlin is to Germany.

[chalms04]

4 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

...because we all know Edmonton is to the North American continent what Berlin is to Germany.

Just on the wrong side of the Wall.

[Free kick]

Just a small correction to a point I made several pages page.  @devioustrevor suggested that Las Vegas was a candidate city and mentioned it as certain candidate to host.  I replied that it was not ever a candidate city.  Well, it turns out I was partially wrong.  It was initially a candidate city but they pulled out in June 2018.

 

Las Vegas withdrew bid to host 2026 World Cup | Las Vegas Review-Journal (reviewjournal.com)

Quote: "The requirements included providing two outdoor venues — each capable of seating 20,000 people to watch every tournament game on a big screen at no cost, Hill said. The city also would have had to provide secure world-class practice facilities shielded from the public to teams that would be competing in games played in Las Vegas.

He also noted that the six-week tournament occurs at a time of year when Las Vegas resorts already are at high occupancy with summer vacationers."

Edited April 15, 2022 by Free kick

[narduch]

2 minutes ago, Free kick said:

Just a small correction to a point I made several pages page.  Someone suggested that Las Vegas was a candidate city and mentioned it as certain candidate to host.  I replied that it was not ever a candidate city.  Well, it turns out I was partially wrong.  It was initially a candidate city but they pulled out in June 2018.

 

Las Vegas withdrew bid to host 2026 World Cup | Las Vegas Review-Journal (reviewjournal.com)

Quote: "The requirements included providing two outdoor venues — each capable of seating 20,000 people to watch every tournament game on a big screen at no cost, Hill said. The city also would have had to provide secure world-class practice facilities shielded from the public to teams that would be competing in games played in Las Vegas.

He also noted that the six-week tournament occurs at a time of year when Las Vegas resorts already are at high occupancy with summer vacationers."

Wonder if they tried to get back in too.

Las Vegas is rumored to be the next MLS expansion team

[Free kick]

34 minutes ago, narduch said:

Wonder if they tried to get back in too.

Las Vegas is rumored to be the next MLS expansion team

Well, LV is probably the only place in North America that doesn't need the additional tourism revenue that the WC brings.  In every other places,  the politicians salivate over the tourism revenues that the WC brings.

Edited April 15, 2022 by Free kick

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

I have some great memories from CFL, to Winter Classic, to concerts, to various football and of course CMNT at Commonwealth but know it is not the best stadium in the world for football.

That said, I think we are overstating what Edmonton is lacking outside the stadium.  There are events through the summer that attract a lot of people and remember we are talking fans and journalists of 2-3 teams at a time, which is manageable infrastructure-wise.   And that said my experience is generally 12/13 years old. 

Edited April 15, 2022 by WestHamCanadianinOxford

[TGAA_Star]

Either way I can't wait until 2026...just counting down until the World Cup is in our backyard and from now people are going to have to save their money up just to buy tickets to go to games and that's what I'm going to be doing

[BearcatSA]

23 hours ago, Watchmen said:

 

I remember back in the time of the main thread about this topic suggesting that the door was never really closed on Vancouver and there might be an avenue later on but several posters implored that that was not the case and the province had f'd it up.  Well, things did change and I am happy to see Vancover back in the bid.

[xabuep2]

Being a joint North American bid, one would expect Canada to have at least 3 host cities and at least 5 games in each of them. It would be the fairest. The same for Mexico. The original proposal was only 10 games, but I think that is not written in stone. We will see

[Watchmen]

2 hours ago, BearcatSA said:

I remember back in the time of the main thread about this topic suggesting that the door was never really closed on Vancouver and there might be an avenue later on but several posters implored that that was not the case and the province had f'd it up.  Well, things did change and I am happy to see Vancover back in the bid.

I remember one poster two weeks ago saying that FIFA should tell Vancouver to shove it and now advocating that FIFA shouldn't bother with Edmonton because Vancouver is so much better.  Things can change.

[Unnamed Trialist]

12 hours ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

There's a reason why the word normally was in the post you responded to. Only reason Qatar are hosting is Blatter era bribery.

No, the reason they are hosting is that FIFA has a policy developed over recent decades to ensure all confederations and a diversity of football cultures get the WC.

It was only European or Latino until the 90s.

See the US, Korea/Japan, South Africa. Even Russia means meeting the post Cold War Eastern block, like it or not. Qatar responds to why an Islamic country has never hosted. That bribery may occur is secondary, hey, Salt Lake committed major corruption to get their Games. I'd imagine now the corruption was far greater in Russia. 

The over the top and generally absolutist critiques of Qatar conceal something else, which for better or worse the choice of Qatar was meant to address. 

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

^^^time to finally put this guy on ignore.

[Joe MacCarthy]

18 minutes ago, Ozzie_the_parrot said:

^^^time to finally put this guy on ignore.

Yeah, cancelling, because we're afraid to hear what someone has to say, that's the answer for everything.

[Soro17]

5 hours ago, WestHamCanadianinOxford said:

I have some great memories from CFL, to Winter Classic, to concerts, to various football and of course CMNT at Commonwealth but know it is not the best stadium in the world for football.

That said, I think we are overstating what Edmonton is lacking outside the stadium.  There are events through the summer that attract a lot of people and remember we are talking fans and journalists of 2-3 teams at a time, which is manageable infrastructure-wise.   And that said my experience is generally 12/13 years old. 

I think Edmonton only has one luxury hotel, which is a problem.  Fifa doesn't do 4 stars. 

[Free kick]

If one looks at the proposed match schedule, you quickly realize why the conditions from the Alberta gov't really make a lot of sense.  So I changed my views a bit on this.   With a 60-10-10 split between USA-Can-Mex, it means that everyone of the ten US cities will get six games.  Most will not get the home team (USMNT) matches but they each have a sufficient number games to ensure that the likelihood is high that they will have games involving sides that have a strong traveling support or strong following in the US based ex pat community.   Hence there is a greater probably that you can attain your favorable ROI projections based on tourism revenues if you are a US city.   But if you are a Canadian city, with three games,  how can you ensure that?   In a 48 game tournament, you could have matches involving tiny countries when the visitor support will minimal or non existent.   

The question I have now is:  why even bother with proposing 3 Mexican cities and 3 Cnd cities in the first place when 2 cities (for each of Mex and Can) makes more sense?   if you look at the chart below,  you can easily take games from CAN2 (for example) and move them easily down or up one box and have 5 and five with at least off days in between.

Conclusion,  when I look at this again,  the case for two instead of three cities makes more sense. Maybe the Alberta requests are not at all a poison pill but rather a remedy pill.

 

Edited June 15, 2022 by Free kick

[Joe MacCarthy]

3 minutes ago, Soro17 said:

I think Edmonton only has one luxury hotel, which is a problem.  Fifa doesn't do 4 stars. 

Good enough for the WWC apparently

Edited April 15, 2022 by Joe MacCarthy

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

8 minutes ago, Free kick said:

...Conclusion,  when I look at this again, the case for two instead of three cities makes more sense. Maybe the Alberta requests are not at all a poison pill but rather a remedy pill.

Was two rather than three cities not more a CSA and Victor Montagliani thing than a FIFA one with the final decision always ultimately being the latter's? Personally have always assumed that it was going to be two and that the only cities that would conceivably really be in the running for this were Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal, so not at all surprised that Vancouver would be allowed back in.

[Ozzie_the_parrot]

20 minutes ago, Joe MacCarthy said:

Good enough for the WWC apparently

Perhaps worth bearing in mind that the only other candidate to host that for the 2015 finals tournament was Zimbabwe.

[Dre_03]

https://globalnews.ca/video/8762416/vancouver-complicates-edmontons-2026-fifa-world-cup-hosting-dreams

Already speculating... Colin Millar spent a few years with the Eddies so probably has a decent handle on things however, Edmonton has a  solid track record when it comes hosting large scale events and has punched above its weight, hosting U20 in 2007, and even was the home stadium for our CMNT at one point (Commonwealth had grass then), but it was 15-20+yrs ago and while the stadium has great capacity at 56K which is important (yes size matters) its certainly showing its age. 

Given the investment and funding needed, Canada and Mexico didn't do themselves any favours settling for 10 games when 12 or 15 would have been more appropriate. 10 games is more feasible for 2 host cities, not 3.... water under the bridge unless Fifa reevaluates the situation. Also unlikely given Fifa's track record but as Vancouver has showed, never say never.

[WestHamCanadianinOxford]

29 minutes ago, Soro17 said:

I think Edmonton only has one luxury hotel, which is a problem.  Fifa doesn't do 4 stars. 

The Sutton Place was a 5 along with the McDonald, at least was the last time I had to care.

[SoccMan]

27 minutes ago, Joe MacCarthy said:

Good enough for the WWC apparently

With all due respect to the WWC can’t compare the two in terms of global popularity. However , the real problem is the amount of games that Canada has been given. We need more games I don’t think it’s too late to try and get more , 15 would be perfect with 5 games given to each of the three cities . I really have no problem with Edmonton they have hosted tournaments before and have done well I’m sure they can do a great job hosting games during the 2026 World Cup.