Best Foot Forward

Cincinnati is one of 17 U.S. cities vying to be a World Cup Host City for the 2026 international event at Paul Brown Stadium. Of the 17, 10 Host Cities will be chosen from the United States with the remaining Host Cities from Mexico and Canada. Only two Midwestern cities, Cincinnati and Kansas City, are among the final 17 U.S. cities competing for the World Cup.

The CEOs from four of the region’s largest companies will champion Cincinnati’s bid to host 2026 FIFA World Cup™.

P&G’s David Taylor, Ohio National’s Barbara Turner, Kroger’s Rodney McMullen and American Financial Group’s Carl H. Lindner III will serve as co-chairs of the Local Organizing Committee (LOC) that is working to bring the world’s largest sporting event to Cincinnati.

“Cincinnati is the perfect host city for the World Cup,” said David Taylor, chairman, president and CEO of P&G. “Our community comes together to rally around big initiatives and get the job done. We’re ready to roll up our sleeves and show FIFA all that the Cincinnati region has to offer.”

The 2026 FIFA World Cup™ will be the first time that the expanded field of 48 teams will play in the World Cup, with 80 total matches. Hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup™ could generate more than $5 billion in short-term economic activity, including supporting approximately 40,000 jobs and more than $1 billion in incremental worker earnings across North America, according to a study done by The Boston Consulting Group (BCG), a leading global management consulting firm.

Canada, Mexico and the United States are hosting the 48-team tournament in 2026, which will be the largest in FIFA World Cup™ history. The study further estimates that individual host cities could expect to see approximately $160-$620 million in incremental economic activity. That translates to a net benefit of approximately $90-$480 million per city.

“Cincinnati is passionate about this beautiful game and we’re prepared to represent the Midwest as a great American soccer city,” said Barbara Turner, CEO of Ohio National Financial Services. “The hard working and collaborative nature of our region puts us in a strong position to win this bid.”

Cincinnati is well positioned to represent the United States as a World Cup host city. With 60% of the nation’s population within an eight hour drive of Cincinnati, the city is located at the center of America’s heartland. The Local Organizing Committee is committed to helping FIFA achieve its goals to roll out the hospitality red carpet and grow the sport of soccer through fan and visitor engagement. In Cincinnati, World Cup will have top billing and be the priority focus.

“Cincinnati is an incredible city with a robust arts, culture and entertainment scene,” said Rodney McMullen, CEO of The Kroger Company. “By hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup, Cincinnatians will have the chance to host the world’s greatest soccer fans and show them the vibrant and welcoming city we know and love.”

The last time that America was the host of the World Cup was in 1994, with a record attendance of more than 3.5 million, and an average of 69,174 fans per match. FIFA is looking to break that attendance record on its return to the United States with the expanded World Cup field.

Later in 2021, FIFA is planning site visits to the bidding cities with final Host City selections to follow.